Page 78 of If You Stayed

“Then what do you mean you’re going to cross it off?”

“My list only had three words on them.”

“And what were the words?”

“Kiss Kierra someday.”

I emitted a soft, reserved laugh. “Why would that be on your list?”

His eyes softened, reflecting a depth of emotion that I’d never seen from him before. He slowly shook his head. “Come on, Kierra,” he replied, his voice gentle yet firm. “Why wouldn’tthat be on my list?” His words hung in the air, a poignant reminder of the unspoken bond between the two of us.

Was it possible that he felt what I felt, too? That even though we’d never spoken about it, he was falling, too? Maybe that was the thing about falling in love with your best friend. You didn’t have to speak about it because there were not enough words to express what that kind of love felt like. It was too big for syllables, too strong to be articulated. The love just kind of formed over time and fell into place, like perfectly placed puzzle pieces.

He was still holding my hand.

I was still holding his.

“Kierra?” he asked.

“Yeah?” I answered.

“Do you want to go get some sandwiches?”

“Yeah. I do.”

We gathered our stuff, and he drove us to our favorite diner, where we ate turkey sandwiches on rye with ruffled chips and Diet Cokes. We talked for over an hour about everything but the kiss, yet the kiss stayed on my mind. I figured it would stay there for as long as I lived.

Afterward, Gabriel drove us home, and I thanked him for pushing me off a cliff. He made me brave. Even when I didn’t want to be.

“Kierra?” he asked.

“Yeah?” I answered.

“If I were your husband, I’d be nice to you. I’d make you coffee in the morning and get you a dog named Bentley. AndI’d tell you to get Bent, so we could go to the dog park. And I’d kiss you good morning and kiss you good night. Every single morning, and every single night, I’d do those things.”

I felt my cheeks heat up from his words. “Yeah, Gabe. I know.”

“Good night.”

I sighed. “Good night.”

***

The next day, I saw Rosie. She came over to gossip and flip through magazines.

As she sat on my bed, I said, “I kissed Gabriel last night.”

She looked up for a moment and paused. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.” She went back to flipping through her magazine. “About fucking time, Kierra.”

19

Kierra

Present Day

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