Chapter Fourteen
LUCAS
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come up there?” Jacob’s voice sounds through the speaker of my phone, but I know that he’s not fully paying attention to our conversation. I called him when he was in the middle of doing some sort of candy cane inventory—whatever that is.
“No, I… I don’t know why I called.” Sitting at the island in my kitchen, I prop my elbows on the cool marble, running my hands through my hair.
“You still haven’t talked to her, huh?”
I don’t know why I called him, if I’m honest. I have friends in Pinehaven other than Julia.
There are some other teachers at work and guys I grew up with.
The thing is, I’m not close with any of them.
Not that I’m particularly close with Jacob after having known him for less than a week, but there’s something about borrowing a guy’s truck and then having him witness the shattering of my heart all in two days that made us bond.
“I’ll take that as a no.” He chuckles.
“I mean, would you? If Cassie had said that to you?”
“She did. Repeatedly. In public. On multiple occasions.”
“What?” I drop my hands, standing.
“I think one of my favourites was on Christmas when she said she would take a stocking filled with coal over a sleigh ride with me. Or being paired on Valentine’s Day, saying she’d rather eat Hal’s taco pancakes than be my date.”
“Did you say taco pancakes?” My lips curl in disgust, thinking about taco meat and salsa on pancakes.
Who would do that?
“Have you gone off track again?” Jacob laughs.
“Sorry, it’s just… taco pancakes.” I shake my head, clearing the thought from my mind. “So how did you get over it? How did you two end up together?”
“What can I say? She finally realized what she’d been missing out on.” I can hear the smugness in his voice.
“No, really…” I say dryly.
Considering how quickly Julia and Cassie hit it off in Candy Cane Creek, I think they’re more alike than Jacob and I realize—which means, I know that Cassie didn’t just “realize” anything.
“Okay, maybe there was a bit more to it than that. The town may have been involved,” Jacob admits. “I’m trying to save you from that part. You’re from a small town. You know what it’s like.”
“Boy, do I,” I mutter under my breath.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
That’s the million-dollar question.
I don’t have time to think about what my response will be because I hear loud music blasting from my front yard. “I’m going to have to call you back.”
“Ooh, did you figure it out? What are you going to do? Come on, you’ve got to give me at least a two-hour heads up to witness this.”
“What? I… No, I have to investigate a ruckus in my front yard.”
“A ruckus, huh?”
I roll my eyes. “Bye, Jacob.”
I don’t wait for his response before ending the call and putting my phone in my pocket.
I open my door to find Julia standing at the base of my porch steps, holding up some contraption that’s playing music. Her eyes have a hopeful look, but her jaw is tight, and I know she’s determined.
Behind her, Mandy is recording on her phone, and there are a few people from town standing at the end of my driveway.
“Lia, what’s going on?” I bring my gaze back to her. “Are you holding a tablet with two speakers attached?”
“I couldn’t find a boombox…” she says a little shyly before straightening, lifting—whatever it is higher above her head.
“And it’s playing True North?”
“Backstreet Boys,” she corrects. “‘Drowning’ to be specific.”
“And Mandy’s recording what exactly?” I ask, stepping out onto my porch.
She lowers her tablet and hangs her head to her chest. “You don’t even have a second story to look down from.”
“I’m not following.”
“I’m trying to make this big grand gesture, just like in the movies, and it’s just… It’s not working.” She kicks at the grass a little. If it wasn’t so adorable, I’d be upset about the little divot she made.
“What movies?”
She looks up at me briefly. “Say Anything? John Cusack?”
I stare at her blankly.
“I know I’ve made you watch this movie with me.” If she wasn’t holding that ridiculous contraption, I know she’d have her hands on her hips right now.
“Keep going! You’ve got this!” Mandy yells from behind her phone, sending me a look that I think is supposed to scare me.
Julia takes a deep breath, holding the questionable boombox above her head, just as the chorus hits. “Lucas John Mathers, I’ve been a fool.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” I put my bare foot on the first step.
“No, I have. I’ve been too afraid to see what’s in front of me.”
“Isn’t she playing the wrong song?” someone says from the street.
“Shh, Earl, she’s doing it her way,” a woman bites back.
“No, I have,” Julia continues. “I should have known better than to pretend that we could only be friends. I only did that because… because… well, because I was scared.”
“Scared of what, Lia?” I take another step.
“Scared to lose you. Like Joey and Dawson. Like Brenda and Dylan. Just like Barney and Robin!” she exclaims, getting louder and more animated with each couple.
“Did she just say Robin from Batman dated a dinosaur?”
“Not now, Earl!” the growing crowd shouts in unison.
I don’t look away from Lia, resisting the urge to sprint down the last few steps and cross over to her. I know she needs to get out what she wants to say, and it has to be her way.
“So tell me: Why are we just like those couples?” Another step.
“Because they were best friends, they dated, it didn’t work out, and it turned weird.” Tears fill her eyes, and her voice catches a little. “I don’t want us to be weird.”
“Okay, but what if we were more like Monica and Chandler?” I take a step closer, my foot on the grass. “Or Jim and Pam?”
The song ends, and we’re left in silence for a moment.
Lia and I look at each other, the crowd somehow remaining silent.
I suck in a breath, waiting for her response.
I’m a foot away from her. I could reach out and run my hands through her hair.
Cup her cheek. The things that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the right to, in friend territory.
“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel starts to blast, breaking the silence.
“Finally, the right song!” Earl shouts.
“So help me, I’ll play ‘Goodbye Earl’ next if you don’t stop it!” Mandy yells.
“What do you think, Lia?” I whisper, not wanting an audience for what she has to say next.
“What do you think?” she asks, lowering the tablet and speakers.
“You know what I think, Lia. You’ve known for the past twenty-five years.”
“You promise it won’t be weird?” she asks.
“Oh, Lia. It’ll be weird, and wonderful, and the biggest adventure that either of us has ever been on.”
“And if the adventure turns into a disaster?” I let her have a moment before she continues. “I can’t lose you, Lucas. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You won’t lose me, Lia. Never.” I place my hands over hers, blaring music and all.
“But, what if…” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.
Before she knows what’s happening, I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers.
I ignore the cheers and yells from the crowd; instead, I do what I’ve wanted to since I realized that I’m in love with Julia Harper.
I run my fingers through her hair. I cup her cheek.
I kiss her so deeply that I hope she realizes that I mean every word I said.
It’ll be a weird, wonderful adventure, but it’ll be our adventure, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.