Five for Friday
Today’s Five comes from Sweet Thursday. And while my Thursday (yesterday) was somewhat sweet, today (Friday) is MUCH nicer. LOL
Prologue
Lily lay on the blanket Killian had spread out for them and looked at the endless sea of stars above. She’d returned home following her graduation ceremony with her two best friends, desperate to escape gushing family members and too many friends who were hell-bent on finding the nearest keg party.
“Gotta admit, I never thought we’d make it to this point in our lives.” Killian was stretched out on one side of her, Justin the other. Killian had actually broken a long silence with his comment as they’d all seemed content to merely reflect on what it meant to be finished with high school.
Justin rolled over and propped his head on his elbow. Lily’s breath caught at his closeness and the heat coming from his body. The evening was uncharacteristically cool for Baltimore in June. “I’m pretty sure you mean you and me, K. I don’t think there was any question our Lily would graduate from high school.”
Lily grinned. They’d taken to adding our before her name halfway through junior year. The sound of it never failed to melt her a bit inside. “There wasn’t any question about you guys either.”
“I don’t know. I sort of thought Mr. Laredo was gonna expel us after that senior prank thing.”
Lily giggled at Justin’s feigned fear. He was ninety-nine percent mischief, compared to her less than one percent. She found that personality trait in him irresistible. “There was no way he was running the risk of getting you two back next year. I think of all our classmates, you were the ones with the best shot of walking across that stage regardless of your grades. I’m pretty sure Mr. Laredo was sobbing tears of joy when he saw that diploma in your hands.”
Justin and Lily burst into fits of laughter, but Killian didn’t. “Guess this is the last time we’ll be together for a while.”
Lily sobered up. Leave it to K to bring up the one subject they’d been avoiding since escaping. They’d come here to say goodbye. She’d been looking forward to and dreading graduation for weeks. While she was excited at the prospect of attending college, she hated the thought of leaving Killian and Justin.
Killian was too sweet, too sensitive to let them avoid facing the truth. It was just his way. She adored his strength, his spirit, his innate kindness. She sat up and looked down at his beloved face.
She’d been in love with her best friends for years. She’d never confessed that her feelings ran deeper than friendship because, for one thing, she was too shy and secondly, it was insane. She was in love with both of them and in her silly schoolgirl fantasies, they were always a trio, never a couple. It was an impossibility and she’d used that excuse to hold her tongue.
“We’ll keep in touch.” Even as she spoke the words, she knew the chances of them holding on to each other while half a world apart were slim. She was heading to California and USC, while they’d joined the Army.
Killian sat up as well and nodded. “Sure we will. We’ll email, write, call.”
Justin grinned crookedly. “I suck at writing letters, but I’d try it for you, Lil.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Justin.” She looked at her watch, knew time was running out. It was nearly midnight—her curfew. Her strict parents, though wonderful and loving, had refused to grant her a reprieve even for tonight. “I guess I should go in soon. We’re heading out pretty early in the morning.”
“Fuck,” Justin muttered and Lily frowned.
“Language,” she said without thinking, her admonition the same one she’d used daily in her attempts to clean up his gutter mouth.
“Dammit, Lil.” Killian shook his head. “Who leaves town the day after graduation?”
She smiled sadly. “My dad got it in his head that we needed to take one last family vacation together. We’re hitting the road with all my stuff for college in a U-Haul and the camper. He’s mapped out a three-week excursion. I have a feeling I’m going to see more of the national parks than anyone has ever wanted to see. Chad’s been complaining about taking this trip for months.”
Her younger brother Chad and Killian’s brother, Sean, were best friends as well, and eleven-year-old Chad wasn’t happy about the prospect of spending three prime summer weeks on the road with just their parents and her.
“I don’t see why you had to sign up for a summer-school course,” Justin interjected. “Aren’t you sick of classes? I mean, we just graduated and you’re already getting ready to start studying again. That sucks.”
“I don’t hate school like you. Besides, this bio course is only offered once every two years. It’s a great opportunity. And it’s not like we would have had the whole summer to mess around. You guys head out to boot camp in two weeks.”
Justin shrugged. “Yeah, but we could have planned a senior beach trip together or something.”
Lily laughed. “Like my parents would have let me go to the beach for a week with you two.”
Killian leaned forward. “Your parents like us.”
“Not that much,” she teased. Her parents did like her friends, but only because they’d come to the realization long ago that neither boy was likely to come on to her. The moment the thought flitted through her mind, she felt the same depression she’d been suffering for weeks assail her again. She’d never given either guy a hint of her feelings. Struck by the reality that this could be her last chance, her rationale about not approaching them seemed silly.
Killian and Justin both rose and Killian reached down to help her up as well. “I guess we should go,” he said.
She nodded.
It’s now or never. Do it!
“Well, looks like this is it.” Her voice was rough with the unshed tears she fought to hold in. Her mind was screaming at her.
Kiss them. Tell them. Do something.
Justin reached over and hugged her. It was a strong embrace but a friendly one—nothing more. When he released her, Killian took his place, wrapping her smaller frame in his giant one. Realizing her shyness would never let her speak the words, her hopes suddenly turned to silent begging.
Kiss me. Just this one time, please kiss me.
“I’m gonna miss you, Lil.” Killian stepped away and she knew the moment had passed. Her chance was gone.
“I’ll miss you guys too.”
She watched them leave, waved as they walked away from her. She didn’t allow herself to crumble on the blanket at her feet until she heard their car pull away. Then she collapsed, giving in to the tears. She’d let them leave without telling them what was in her heart, without telling them exactly what they meant to her. She cried for ages and when the tears finally stopped, she sat up sadly.
So much for a new beginning, a fresh start. Now she faced her future with a heart full of regrets.
Chapter One
Ten years later
“What the hell are we doing here again?” Killian mumbled as he followed his best friend, Justin, into the banquet hall.
Justin shrugged. “Fuck if I know. For some reason, this sounded like fun after a few beers at Pat’s Pub. I think we thought there might be some hot women here.”
Killian nodded and glanced around at the line of people signing in at the table by the door. “Yeah, right. Looks like a bunch of married couples to me.”
“Guess we missed our chance at the five-year reunion. Must have waited too long to come back.”
“Ten years out of high school.” Killian shook his head in disbelief. “Feels like the blink of an eye.”
“And an eternity,” Justin added.
Killian silently agreed. A two-year stint in Iraq definitely skews a man’s perspective of time. “At least Tris and Lane will be here, so we’ll have someone to hang out with.”
“Killian Collins? Justin Porter?” Killian tried to suppress a grimace at the familiar voice, but he knew his best friend had caught a glimpse of it when Justin quickly covered his laugh with a cough.
“Judith Ridley.” Killian tried to paste on a fake smile as he greeted the woman who had served as their class president. If he’d been a betting man, he would have won twenty bucks because somehow he’d known Judith would grow up to look exactly like this. Her hair was lighter than he remembered, with that long-in-the-front-short-in-the-back style so many women seemed to have adopted. She was super-slim with a runner’s build that screamed “ask me how many marathons I’ve run.” She was standing next to a man several years her senior in a Hugo Boss suit his wife had no doubt made him wear in order to proclaim to her former classmates that she had hit the marriage jackpot.
“It’s Judith Rossiter now. This is my husband, Stanley.”
Sweet Thursday is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo and All Romance Ebooks.
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