Page 82 of A Better Place

“It’s a new addition,” she admits with a small shrug.

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod my head like an idiot. “I’ll be there,” I tell her. There’s no way I’d let her do that without me.

“I have no doubt.”

“Okay, what else?”

“You really want to know?”

“I really do.”

“Some of these are cheesy, so no judging.”

“Never.”

“Kiss someone in the rain, pay for someone else’s groceries anonymously, adopt a dog, and learn how to shoot a gun.”

“Wow, quite a list,” I tell her, trying to calm my racing heart.

“What about you? Do you have one?”

“Let’s just say mine looks pretty similar to yours.”

“Name one thing. Come on, I gave you a bunch of mine!”

“Find someone who makes me happy just for being her.”

I hear Carly take a sharp breath, and she squeezes my hand.

“Horse and carriage ride?” she asks after a few moments, diving back into questions of what our night will be like.

“Cliché.”

“Movie?”

“Boring.”

“A concert?”

“Nope.”

“Wine tasting?”

“Didn’t think wine would be too appetizing after last night,” I remind her.

“Yeah, probably not. Can I get a hint?”

“It’s something you’ve never done before, and maybe something you’ve always wanted to do but never told anyone you did.”

“Well, that’s not helpful at all! There’s a lot of things I’ve never thought of doing. Skydiving, playing paintball, beekeeping…”

“Beekeeping? Really?”

“I don’t know! I’m out of ideas!”

“No creativity. Looks like I’ll be the one planning all our dates,” I tell her as I reach over and rest my hand on her thigh. I squeeze once lightly then leave it there to linger. Her body trembles under my touch, and it hits me that I affect her just as much as she affects me.

The feelings I have for her wrap around my heart like a glove, drawing me in like a magnet. There’s no going back from Carly. No moving on from her. She is it. I’m no longer falling. I’ve already fallen.

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