Been There Done That (Leffersbee #1) - Hope Ellis Page 0,140
his gaze soft. “You told them how bored I was in classes. That the work was too easy for me.”
I laughed. “I did do that. I remember now.”
“Yeah, and then I started taking community college classes. Because of you.”
“I’d do it again.”
“I know you would.”
He pulled me along to the next picture. It wasn’t a picture, really. It was a photograph of a piece of paper. I squinted to make out the distorted lettering.
“It says ‘Notice of Suspension.’”
“You got this from my mother. She took it out of the frame.”
“I sure did. I’ll never forget it. You kicked that girl’s ass, right in the middle of social studies. Your first and last fight.”
My blood heated at the memory. “She had no business talking about your mother like that, saying those things in front of the entire class. I gave her a warning, and she started it.” The same anger I’d always felt about that event filled me and my free hand tightened into a fist. “She started it, but I sure finished it. She never said a word about you, your mother, or me again.”
His hand tightened on mine.
“Over here.”
We walked over to a picture of a young me.
God, I’d never appreciated myself when I was young. I remembered just turning eighteen and hating my imperfections so much.
And loving how Nick coaxed me into feeling comfortable in my skin.
I laid on a carpet of autumn leaves, my hair lost among the red, copper, and burnt orange leaves.
But there was no mistaking my grin. I held a chain up to the camera.
My ring dangled from the end.
“Remember that moment?” His voice sounded from behind me.
“You’d just proposed. And we decided I’d wear the ring around my neck so our parents wouldn’t figure it out and freak.”
He tugged me in a different direction. His footsteps echoed in the cavernous space. We toured all the in-between moments of our adolescence and teenage years until we reached the end of the timeline.
When we’d separated.
“After that, everything happened. We didn’t have any more moments together. Not for a long while. Not until I got up the courage to come back. And all I could hope was that you’d give me the chance I’d been so desperate for during all those years.”
“What if I’d gotten married? Had kids? How could you be so sure I’d still be here waiting for you?”
I’d wondered that more than once.
We stopped in front of a new picture Eddie had taken a month ago with his phone, at Knoxville Axe. Nick sat, one large arm extended along the booth. My head was on his shoulder, my hand on his chest. As if I wanted to absorb all his heat, all his energy. His free hand rested on top of my head, tangled in my curls.
God. Look at us.
I glanced up at Nick. He stared at the picture, chest lifting with an inhalation.
“Zora, that’s us. It always has been. No matter what space, problems, or people were between us. We belong together. Fate wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He turned to face me, captured my other hand.
“You wanted to know if it was a game, a ploy, me coming back. Never. I came back because I couldn’t breathe without you anymore, and I was tired of trying. I’ve come to understand why you’re so angry about what I did. All I can tell you is that there will never be a day where I won’t want to give you the world or correct whatever injustice you’re experiencing if it’s within my power. I can’t promise it won’t ever happen again. I’ll do my best. But I do promise that I’ll always respect your choices. I’ll never step on your independence and I won’t manipulate your path through life. Not ever again.
“I can be controlling. I realize that now. And I promise I’ll work on it. One of the ways I want to do that is by being honest about the things that make me afraid, that make me fearful, that bring out the controlling part of me that needs to mask that fear.
“Today, I want to make a confession. I don’t wanna make any more decisions for you, or without your knowledge. I’m done with that. I want you to know that I’m nothing without you. That I’m terrified of the idea of going through this world without my best friend. It scares me, you having this much power over me. But I’m helpless without you.”