Page 8 of While You're There
“Okay.”
“I woke up to a text from Chandler.” He paused. He wanted to give her a moment to process what he just said.
“And?” she prompted. She moved to sit next to him, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to mirror his posture.
“And? She texted me! I haven’t heard from her for two weeks, and now it’s the morning of graduation, and she decides to reach out? I haven’t even opened the message yet. I didn’t text her back, V, I swear.” He heard himself rambling, but he couldn’t seem to slow his thoughts or control his tone.
“Hey. Hey, look at me,” she demanded as she took his hand and interlaced their fingers. “This isn’t a big deal. I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this… Wait. Are you freaking out because you thinkI’mgoing to freak out?”
He didn’t say anything in response to her question, but he felt the tension in his chest loosen a bit as she named his exact concern.
“Rhett, you didn’t do anything wrong. Will you please look at me?”
He slowly turned to face her, steeling himself for whatever was about to happen next.
“I’m not upset that your ex texted you. That’s literally not within your control. I know I freaked out on you yesterday about Chandler… but that was just my own insecurities coming out. This isn’t like before. We aren’t sneaking around. We’re together. We’remorethan together,” Tori reminded him as she held up her left hand to flash her engagement ring. “I appreciate you wanting to tell me right away, but you don’t need to worry. There’s nothing Chandler could say or do to come between us now. Right?”
“Right,” he answered in a rush. Her words only went so far to ease the anxiety he’d let build up since he first saw the text.
Tori must have sensed he still didn’t feel settled. She ran her hand up his bare arm before letting it rest at the nape of his neck. “You’re okay, Ev. We’re okay. Chandler trying to text you isn’t a big deal. I trust you to handle it. You can text her back and tell me about it if you want, but I know where we stand.” She finished her declaration by placing a soft kiss on his lips. Rhett greedily accepted her affection, pulling her into his chest and exhaling.
“I didn’t mean to freak out,” he muttered into her hair. He hugged her even tighter, letting the connection between their bodies soothe his frayed nerves. “It was like a bad case of déjà vu to be lying in bed next to you and see her name on the screen.”
“Rhett. Seriously. Let it go. We’re good. Today is supposed to be aboutyou. I can’t wait to see you walk across that stage. I’m so proud of you, and I’m so glad I get to be here with you today.”
She was right: There was a very different version of how today could have gone, one where she wasn’t here with him at all. He didn’t want to live in the past or worry about the mistakes they had both made to get to this place. They were here together now, and there was nothing anyone could say or do to change the fact that he would be marrying Tori in just a few weeks.
“Okay, so if you take that path, it’ll cut through the quad, and you’ll see the stage,” he instructed as he pointed out the directions.
“Got it,” Tori chirped, grabbing her bag before she exited the car. “Ready, Maddie?” She turned around to confirm his sister was coming with her.
“Hey,” Rhett called out once she exited the car but hadn’t closed the door. She turned back to him, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here, beautiful.” He winked at her, relishing the fact that this was the first of many celebrations for them this month.
She held up a finger to indicate he should wait. He didn’t care that he was stopping traffic in the middle of campus on the morning of graduation: He would do any damn thing she asked him to do. His eyes followed her as she walked around the front of the vehicle. The way her body moved in that yellow dress… He rolled down his window when she reached his door, almost certain he knew what she wanted. She leaned in quickly, half her torso entering his space on the driver’s side of the car. Instead of kissing him, she hovered two inches away from his face, her eyes gleaming with a sultry gaze. “I love you, Everhett Wheeler.”
She tasted like coffee and sweet cream. She smelled like rosemary and mint. She kissed like they were about to be separated for an indefinite amount of time, her mouth confirming the words she had just whispered. It wasn’t until a horn blared that he remembered he still had to park the car. He reluctantly ended their kiss as Tori hurried across the street where Maddie was waiting for her.
He drove to the small parking lot behind the business building that almost always had a few open spots. Miraculously there were only three other cars in the tucked-away lot. He parked the SUV before digging out his phone.
He finally felt calm enough to return Chandler’s text. Now that he had Tori’s blessing, he just wanted to check her off his list and be done with it. He hadn’t found anything that belonged to her when they cleaned out the apartment yesterday, so he didn’t know what the hell she wanted to talk about. Still. He felt like he owed her the opportunity to gain the closure she needed before he left Easton for good.
Rhett: Hey. Congrats on your graduation today. I just got to campus and have to head to the stage soon. Want me to call you later?
He hoped the offer to talk on the phone would be enough for her, or that maybe she wouldn’t see his text right away. His hope was short-lived when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand less than a minute later.
Chandler: Where are you?
He shook his head and contemplated his next move. He had plenty of time to get to the ceremony since he had found a parking spot so quickly. But did he really want to sully the day by talking face-to-face with his ex-girlfriend? Guilt crept in and beat out the selfishness he was feeling.
Rhett: I’m in the lot behind the business building. I can wait 10 minutes if you’re close?
Chandler: I’ll be right there.
He fiddled on his phone while he waited, opening and closing apps without really paying attention to anything on the screen.
Chandler: I’m here. Where are you?
He had forgotten he was in Maddie’s car. He hopped out of the front seat and scanned the parking lot. She must have spotted him first, because she was already striding toward him.
