Page 284 of Something Rad
“You too,” I nod, my throat feeling like it’s closing up.
Robbie gives me one last smile, raising his hand towards me before turning to walk away.
“Wait,” I blurt.
He looks back, raising a brow as I close the distance between us, the words flying out of my mouth.
“Why don’t you come with me?”
Robbie turns back to face me. “To your gate?”
“To New York.”
“To New York?” he repeats.
“Yeah,” I nod.
We stand there for a moment, our shoulders stiff and our eyes darting between each other’s, before both of us suddenly break, laughter spilling out of us.
“You are something else, Sara Cooper.”
“Sorry,” I mumble, running a hand down my face. “That was crazy. Just a very crazy, spontaneous thought. Just forget it. It was, uh, good to see you as well.” I start to spin away, but something catches my wrist.
I look back, finding Robbie with not an ounce of humor left on his face.
“Doesn’t sound so crazy to me,” he says.
My throat bobs. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Robbie nods. “Actually, it sounds pretty rad.”
I chuckle, shaking my head, and a huge smile comes to Robbie’s face. “Nobody says rad anymore, Robbie.”
“Only the cool kids,” he grins.
I look down at the floor, continuing to laugh until I sigh. It registers then that Robbie’s hand is still wrapped around my wrist.
I raise my arm, pulling back just enough so that his hand is now wrapped around mine. I look down at our intertwined fingers, blowing out a breath.
“I have to be honest with you,” I tell him, glancing up to meet his eyes. “I didn’t really do everything you said.”
“Have you ever?” Robbie asks.
I shake my head, returning his smile. “I’ve thought about you,” I say. “A lot.”
Robbie tilts his head, reaching up and brushing his thumb across my cheek as he looks into my eyes. “It doesn’t storm nearly enough in California. But I’ve thought about you a lot too, Cooper. And I’m proud to admit it.”
