Chapter 11 #4
“Levi, man…” Austin muttered, clearly annoyed. “What?”
“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Levi said, though his grin gave him away. “Cherry informed me that Miss Blair here doesn’t like to break curfew. Or should I call her Yellow too?”
“No,” Austin said instantly, scowling at the idea. “You don’t get to call her Yellow. Only I can call her Yellow.”
“Blair,” Cherry said gently, “I’d be more than happy staying out all night, but I know you don’t like worrying your parents.” She was right. And I hated how grateful I was for that.
I sighed. “She’s right.” For a moment, I wished I could be different. I wished I had Cherry’s fearlessness, the kind that never stopped to look back. But she was her, and I was me. And I didn’t.
“Can’t you call your parents and let them know?” Austin asked, his hand finding my waist again, his fingers pressing gently into my skin.
“I don’t want to wake them,” I sighed. Still, I pressed my lips together, considering it anyway.
“Nah, Yellow,” Austin shook his head, smiling. “Don’t change who you are. You’re perfect the way you are. Good girl and all,” he added with a wink. “Come on.”
He took my hand, and the four of us walked back toward the car in silence.
But it wasn’t awkward. If anything, it felt like we were all suspended in the same quiet euphoria.
Like I’d said before, this field was magic.
It was worth it. But maybe it wasn’t just the field.
Maybe it was the company, too. I glanced around at Cherry, her hand wrapped in Levi’s just like mine was wrapped in Austin’s.
It was an unexpected group—and somehow, it made complete sense.
Like pieces that didn’t look like they belonged together until you saw them side by side.
As if to confirm my thoughts, the feeling followed us back into town.
The windows were rolled down, warm air rushing through the car, music blasting from the speakers.
Austin’s hand rested on my thigh, grounding me, keeping us connected.
“Austin!” Cherry yelled over the music. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Open the sunroof!” Austin laughed and did it without hesitation.
Cherry immediately unbuckled her seatbelt, climbing onto the back seat and pushing herself up through the opening.
I watched her throw her arms into the air, her laughter breaking free, her screams of joy dissolving into the rushing wind.
And I didn’t think. I didn’t give myself time to.
I reached down and unbuckled my seatbelt.
Austin looked at me, surprised, his hand lifting from my thigh as I stood up—just like Cherry had.
“Blair!” Cherry yelled as my head popped up through the open sunroof.
I caught a brief flash of surprise on her face, but it lasted only a second before she laughed and threw her arm around my shoulders.
I lifted my chin into the rushing wind, letting it pour over my face, tangling my hair wildly around us as we sped through the dark streets.
Cherry’s laughter rang out, bright and unrestrained, and before I even realized it was happening, I was laughing with her.
Something inside my chest cracked wide open.
It was freedom. It was joy. It was happiness.
And layered beneath it all was something new, something electric.
Excitement. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms into the air, surrendering completely, feeling like a bird that had been caged for far too long and had finally remembered what it meant to fly.
There are feelings you remember for your entire life.
I was sure of that. The mountains had given me one.
The stars had given me another. This was one of them.
A feeling made of wonder and beauty and exhilaration, so vivid it felt like it was carving itself into me permanently.
I stayed there until I felt the car slow, the momentum easing, the night gently pulling me back down.
When we came to a stop, I opened my eyes.
Cherry was already looking at me, curiosity and something softer written across her face.
Then I noticed my house beside us, dark and quiet, exactly as I had expected it to be.
We lowered ourselves back into the car, and disappointment washed over me immediately.
The night was ending, and I was not ready for it to be over.
“Thank you,” I breathed, turning toward Austin. He was watching me like I had surprised him, like I had done something he had not anticipated. “This was a great night.”
“I’m glad you had fun, Yellow,” he told me softly. His hands came up to my face again, familiar now, grounding. He leaned in and kissed me once more, slow and sure.
We pulled apart smiling, our breathing still uneven, no words left between us that needed to be said. I opened the car door, and Cherry did the same. It seemed her plans for the night ended with my bed.
As I stepped out, I tilted my head, noticing a light glowing inside my house.
That was strange. I closed the car door and walked toward the front steps with Cherry beside me, curiosity tightening in my chest. I wondered if we had woken my parents.
I was just about to turn back and give Austin one last wave when the front door opened. Shock dropped hard into my stomach.
“Holden?” I said.
He stood there in his pajamas, blond hair messy, eyes heavy with sleep.
He smiled at me at first, the familiar softness returning my breath for just a moment.
Then his gaze slid past Cherry. Past me.
Toward Austin’s car. I turned to follow his line of sight, watching as Holden’s eyes locked onto Austin’s.
Then quickly, tires screamed against the pavement. Where Austin’s car had been only seconds before, there were now just red taillights streaking away into the night. He was gone. And he had left fast.