More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Tell me what he was like . . . when you’re ready,” I said instead. “I want to hear all about him.” “Okay.” He picked up the rod again. Then added, “Sorry for going all emo on your last day.” “Suits my mood, anyway.” I shrugged. “I’m kind of depressed about summer ending. I don’t want to go home tomorrow.” He bumped my knee with his. “I don’t want you to go, either.”
We stand staring at each other silently, and then he takes three giant strides toward me and wraps his arms around me so tight it’s like his large body is a cocoon around mine. He smells like sun and soap and something new that I don’t recognize. When he speaks, his voice is a deep rasp that I want to drown in. “You came home.” I squeeze my eyes shut. I came home.
He grinned. “I pay attention to a lot of things about you, Percy Fraser.”
“I’ve tried to forget about you for more than ten years, but I don’t want to try anymore.”
“What’s wrong?” His eyes flit across my face. “We need to talk,” I say, then look at the ceiling, but not before two fat tears roll down my cheeks. I brush them away. “You don’t have to tell me anything,” he says, taking my hand. But I shake my head.
“I have to.” I squeeze his fingers tight. “Twelve years ago, you asked me to marry you,” I whisper. Breathe. “I remember,” he says with a sad smile. “And I pushed you away.” “Yeah,” he rasps. “I remember that, too.”
“I need you to know why I said no, when I loved you so much, when all I w...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“No,” I croak. I look at him, my chin trembling, his hands still around my face, and force myself to say the words. “You already knew.” He swallows and presses his lips together. “Yeah,” he rasps. “I knew.” I close my eyes and collapse into a heap on the dirt, silent sobs shaking my body. I hear him say something, but all I can focus on is how long he’s known and how deeply he must have hated me all that time.
“I miss his feedback,” I told her through a chocolaty mouthful. “I don’t know who I’m writing for anymore.” “You write for you, Percy, just like you always did,” she said. “I’ll be a reader for you. I promise to keep sex-related requests to a minimum.”
