Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)

by Liz Tomforde

Thanks for letting me keep you up last night. You should’ve seen the latte art today. It was my best one yet until I took a sip. Drive my truck while I’m gone, please. -R

Stop bc this is sooo cute

“This isn’t a date, you know.”

“Oh God, no. It’s a work meeting, Hallie. Focus, please.”

I love him sooo much

“I’m not going to bite, Hal. Well, unless you ask me to.”

Ahhh FERAL

“God, Hallie.” His fingers tighten in my hair. “You have no idea how untrue that is. I wanted to. I tried so fucking hard to forget about you, and I couldn’t. I know that me simply saying that doesn’t mean shit right now, but soon enough, I think you’ll realize just how hard I’ve been holding on to you all these years later, even when I tried to let you go.”

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Give me some time to get my bearings here, and ...

“But I’m not your person.”

Damn that hurts me

“Yeah,” he chuckles without humor. “That’s what I spent the past six years trying to convince myself of too. But I’m tired of lying, Hallie. Aren’t you?”

“I don’t want to want you.”

Buuuuut you do?!?

“Yeah, baby.” He nudges his nose against mine. “That makes two of us.”

Crying

“Hal,” he exhales, already short of breath. “I want this. I want to give this another try. You and me.”

Ahhhhh

“You broke my heart, Rio, and I know I broke yours.”

“I was young, Hallie. We were young. We were fucking kids who made mistakes. I was twenty-one years old and just watched my entire life fall apart and—” He closes his eyes, trying to regain his composure. “I took it out on you.”

Damn…

“I understand why you’re hesitant or uninterested,” he whispers. “I’m not going to push you to want me. But I am going to be here, waiting, if you ever decide you want to try again. I’m not going anywhere this time.”

Yup… crying

“We’ll have every birthday after college though. Every March eighth. It’s not our last.” He studies me cautiously. “Is everything okay?”

Damn

I never forgot him. I never forgot us. And apparently, neither did he.

God, I miss her. I want her back, and I’m done lying about it. To her. To myself.

I’ve never forgotten this girl, not even for a second, and it’s about time she knows that.

“You cheated on my mother! I’m not going to get over it, Dad.”

omg did he have an affair with hallies mom????

How could I leave Hallie behind like that? It wasn’t her fault that my dad blew up my family. It wasn’t her fault that his decisions had me questioning everything. What the fuck is wrong with me?

“She didn’t tell me! She was practically my daughter, and she knew that your father was having an affair, and she didn’t tell me. How can you even look at her now?”

Damn

I was only nineteen the first time we found out my dad was sick,

Her whole world crumbled that year

What is he doing here? But also, can he get to me a little quicker?

Literally crying

All I can do is hope that she wants me.

“You’re very lucky,” he starts.

“I know. I know I made some mis⁠—”

“No, I mean you’re both very lucky. To have found each other again. Don’t th...

“I need you to take care of her,” he continues. “Because she’s spent so many years taking care of me, but I couldn’t do the same for her. I don’t know that I’d still be here if it weren’t for the sacrifices she made for me.”

Sobbing

“You didn’t know. I need you to give yourself a little grace, okay? I need you to take care of her and you’re not going to be able to if you’re too busy regretting past decisions. She needs someone to take care of her for once. Can you do that for me?”

I cant stop crying

“Your dad’s cancer trial. The insurance didn’t cover as much as you let him believe.”

“It didn’t cover housing or moving expenses. There was no caregiver stipend like I told him there was. But he wouldn’t have done the trial if he knew that, and I needed him to get better. So, I told him everything was covered. I took out a loan to make it happen.”

You have every right to believe that I forgot about you, but I didn’t. Not one day went by that I didn’t think of you. You were everywhere. In the music I listened to. In the house I live in.

And I will spend the rest of my life regretting leaving you behind all those years ago.”

For years, I’ve taken this fucking boombox everywhere with me. Held on to it, like if I could keep rewinding and replaying these moments we had, then maybe it wasn’t over.”

“I don’t want it to be over, Hallie.”

“Well, I know that technically, these are your best memories, but they’re mine too. Meeting on that roof, listening to music. Getting the opportunity to fall in love with you is my best memory, and all I can do is hope that one day you’ll let me do it again.”

SOBBING

“And honestly, Hallie, I don’t want to start over with you. I want to accept that we went through some shit, you more than me. We hurt each other, and I made mistakes.”

“Are you sure that’s not just a first-love thing?”

“No, baby. It’s a last-love thing.”

Stooooooop rio you are pulling my heart strings

“The other night when I said I hoped that one day you’d let me fall in love with you again, what I meant to say was that I hope to earn the chance to fall in love with you again.

Ughhh my heart

“It’s always been you, Hallie, and I think we both know it.”

Ahhhh freaking finally

“Rio.” Her eyes bounce between mine. “You should know. It’s always been you too.”

“In case you’re still wondering if I ever forgot about you,” he says softly, “I got this three years ago. Three years after I saw you last.”

“Even when I thought I didn’t want it to be, I knew it was us. I sat there getting this permanently inked onto my skin, trying to convince myself I was only getting it as a reminder that love existed when the whole fucking time, I knew it only existed with you.”

“Six years.” My eyes shoot to his. “I’ve only ever been with you.”

Crying

“You’re everything to me, Hallie. I’ve been addicted to you since I was a kid, and clearly nothing has changed. I don’t want to be without you again.”

“Hallie,” Rio whispers, still dancing slowly with me in his kitchen. “Are we doing this? You and me. Because I’m all in.”

“I thought last night kind of answered that.”

“I’d really like to hear you say it, to make sure I’m not assu...