Chapter 22
twenty-two
CAMILLA
6 YEARS EARLIER
With all the seniors graduating in a matter of weeks, the air on prom night felt different—electric. Everyone smiled as they danced into the late hours of the night, even me. Taylor’s date bailed at the last minute, so she tagged along with me and Julian, but I didn’t see much of her after Julian’s best friend, Elijah, pulled her away. Even Sofia found us on the dance floor at some point—it was no surprise she was one of the only juniors to be asked by a senior.
That night was the first time I looked around and appreciated the simplicity of high school. In that moment, we were all just teenagers living in a bubble. While you were in it, all you wanted was to get out, until you look back and realize how easy it was when your only concerns were passing the SAT and filling out college applications.
I must’ve looked over at Julian at least a dozen times and wondered what we’d be like together in the real world. Everyone said never take your high school sweetheart with you to college, but while living in New York sounded grand, the idea of being there without Julian made it sound the opposite. I wanted the breakfast-in-bed dates, study sessions at the kitchen table we picked out together, watching him cook in our kitchen since I burned everything I touched. I wanted a love story opposite of what I watched growing up, and I couldn’t wait to start writing it.
“Do you want to go somewhere?” Julian whispered in my ear as we swayed on the crowded dance floor. Prom was coming close to an end, but we fit in one last slow dance—no need for any trickery or bets that night.
“Where?”
A smile greeted his lips. “Do you even have to ask?”
* * *
I had to tread lightly so I wouldn’t trip over my dress that dragged behind on the wet grass. The air was typically hot in late May, but as we overlooked the ocean from the top of the hill, its cold breeze sent shivers down my arms. I tried not to make it obvious, since I’d left my jacket in the car and told Julian I wouldn’t need it, but it was a bad time to have a strapless dress on.
His eyes darted to the goosebumps on my arms. “Are you cold?”
I shook my head. “Nope.” I would’ve rather froze than admit I was wrong.
“You’re so stubborn, Vega.” Thankfully, he ignored my defiance and draped his tux jacket over my shoulders, engulfing me with his scent of amber and spice.
I held back a smile as he entwined our hands to walk over and stand in front of the abandoned house, like we had so many times before. Nothing about the house changed over time, especially my vision for it, but I still never tired of looking at it, picturing my future.
“You’ve never been inside?” he asked.
“Never.” I was always tempted, but a small part of me wanted my first time walking inside to be when I bought it someday. “I think it’s time we rectify that.”
I pulled him back. “Shouldn’t we wait? What if it’s bad luck to see it before?”
Laughter vibrated in his chest. “It’s gonna be yours one day anyway, Mila. Might as well get a good look at the work it needs.”
My heart pounded against my chest as he led us up the porch steps, where I made a note that the first step of remodeling had to be patching up the huge hole in the rotted wood floor. The old door wouldn’t budge, but with enough force, Julian was able to push it open and reveal the inside no one had occupied for years. The walls were completely stripped of paint, the laminate floors ripped out, all the furniture left behind was covered in layers of dirt, but when the moon lit up the room, all I saw was everything it could be. I’d built it up in my head for years, but somehow, it exceeded everything I imagined.
Julian and I walked carefully across the floors that creaked with every step we took. The only indication a kitchen was near the living room was the rusted stove ripped from the wall, but I smiled when I noticed the island barely standing. It was always my dream to have a marble island to host parties.
“Watch your step,” Julian warned before we walked down the dark hallway to check out the vacant rooms next. My favorite was the biggest room because it overlooked the cove perfectly from the window. How could you have a bad day when all your mornings started with a view so beautiful?
“What will you do to this place when it’s yours, Mila?” I smiled.
“It’d be easier to give you a visual.” I pulled him to the first room we entered and moved around to different sections. “For starters, this house calls for new floors. We’ll paint the walls off-white but with a design I haven’t chosen yet. The couches would go here, next to our coffee table.” I moved to the farthest wall next to the window. “We’ll also knock some of this wall out to build a fireplace for the cold winters. That’s just the living room. Don’t get me started on the kitchen or the bedrooms.”
He stood still and watched me with a soft smile trembling over his full lips. “What?” I asked.
“It’s just…while you were talking about it, you said we. It’s just nice you see me living here too.” His voice caught in his throat.
We’d spent all our time talking about life after high school, but we hadn’t talked about what it would look like after college. “I know you said you never wanted to settle in Willow’s Cove.” My dream always was to leave town for college and see the world, then come back when I was ready to settle down permanently. Julian saw leaving town as an escape from a prison sentence. At the time, I didn’t understand why.
“What if I said I changed my mind?” The room went silent enough for him to hear the sharp intake of my breath. “What do you mean?”
The anticipation of him slowly walking over killed me. He held my gaze as he caressed my face. “It’s you and me, remember? I go wherever you go.”
I gulped down as tears threatened my eyes. “You promise?”
“After you become a famous author and you’re ready to come back, I’ll rebuild this house exactly how you want. I promise.”
“What about traveling? You said you wanted that.” He wanted to make sure I got everything I dreamed of, and I wanted the same for him.
“We’ll do it together. All I want now is to be part of the life you want, Mila.”
A hot tear rolled down my cheek and ruined the makeup my mom had spent hours doing. “You are.” He pulled me in and pressed my lips to his, as if sealing the promises we just made to.
The thing about promises was, they were easy to make when you didn’t know what was ahead.