Page 76 of Here's to Yesterday

“And what makes youhappy?”

It takes a few moments, but she finally glances up at me, her electric-blue eyes now a lot less cloudy than before.Please say me.Pleasesayme.

“You.”

Exhaling the breath I was holding, I pull her into my arms and hold her tightly. “Let this happen, Maura. You have to follow yourheart.”

I feel her nod against me. “Okay.”

“You meanthat?”

“I do,” she says, pulling away and wiping away the last of her tears. “I mean it, Tuck. But you can’t get upset with me if takes me awhile. I’m so used to not following it that I don’t knowhowto.”

She makes a good point, something I hadn’t considered before. We’ve both always been thosepeople, the ones who set everything aside for everyone else. But what if we weren’t those people anymore? What if we finally did something forourselves?

An idea hitsme.

“Tell you what, I’ll make a serious effort at doing the music thing full time.” She opens her mouth to say something, but I hold my hand up, silencing her. “I’m not done. I’ll do all that, butonlyif you do too. You have a bullshit degree you don’t want to use? Get another one. You have a dream job you want? Go after it. Anything. We’ll work on making it happen.Together.”

“Together aswhat?”

“Asus.”

Maura seems to contemplate my offer for several moments, her eyebrows knitted together in concentration, and settles back against the wall, drawing her knees up to her chest. I mirror her pose, watching her run through all the possibleanswers.

“So you go after music, and I’ll simply be happy?” I nod. “And we help each other? No matter what?” My nod is slower this time because thatdoesworry me a little. “Deal.”

I bump her shoulder. “Good. I didn’t plan on leaving you alone until you said yesanyway.”

“Were you going to stalk meagain?”

“If I hadto.”

She laughs, and I get all warm and fuzzy inside. But that’s nothing new because her laugh always does that tome.

Her smile is like a ray of sunshine poking its head out on a cloudy day. Her laugh is serene. And when she cries, her tears beat down on my chest like choppy waves during a hurricane. Hell, even when she does that cute snort thing, my fucking heart sings for her. I always seem tofeelso much more around her. All the mundane moments in life turn into the extraordinary ones anytime she’saround.

We sit out in the hallway for what feels like ages, neither one of us moving or speaking. We sit and plot and plan and dream. Our silence settles around us as a bond, as a promise, as anunderstanding.

“Thankyou.”

I cock my head in her direction at her small, quiet words. “Forwhat?”

“Everything. For pushing me. For giving me space when I need it. For being there. For all of it. You’re a good friend,Tuck.”

I grimace at her words.Friend. I guess that’s what she wantsusto be.I swallow down the sudden burn in my throat and silently wish that I had a bottle of water with me. “Is that what weare?”

It comes out a lot harsher than I intend, so I’m not surprised when Maura flinches.Great move. Show her how big of an asshole you are. Please, remind her of Tanner. You’ve got great game,jackass.

“Friends. For now,” she says. “It’s no secret we like one another, Tucker. I like you. A lot. And if you like me half as much as that, then damn, that’s a lot too.” She sits up straighter for what she’s about to say next. “I think that—considering the type of people we are—we’d probably have a better shot at going after our big wants when we’re not so involved with one another. Ya know? So. Friends. For now. We act like friends would. No labels.I think it would be easier on us if we didn’t have them to answerto.”

I sigh because she’s probably right. We’re too prone to giving shit up, and I don’t want either of us to do that for theother.

I throw her a smirk and ask, “Can we still makeout?”

Maura meets my eyes, a spark of mischief in hers, and answers with a straight face. “Ofcourse.”

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