a falling out.”
Shit.
“Valentina’s here?”
My grandmother nods. “Upstairs,” she repeats.
Double shit!
“I told her she could wait for you there.”
Instead of telling my gran how that was a colossal bad fucking idea, I give her a clipped nod and rush up the stairs, taking them two at a time, hoping Valentina isn’t freaking out right now.
In all the years we’ve known each other, I’ve never let Valentina come into my room, and for good cause, too. My grandmother giving her carte blanche to snoop around my things is all sorts of fucked up. There she will see my secrets. My heart. My fucking soul. And as brittle and broken as both are today, I’m not sure either could handle Valentina’s rejection.
Or worse—repulsion.
When I open the door to my room, I stand rooted to the spot, my lungs refusing to work with the sight before me.
Right at the very center of my room stands Valentina, silently taking in her surroundings. She takes a few steps to one wall in particular, in awe of the photographs pinned there, tracing each one with a gentle finger.
There are hundreds of them on display.
Some of Gran.
Others of Logan and Quaid.
Even one or two of my folks and Alex.
But most of them, ninety percent of them, are all her.
Her golden eyes stare back at herself, as she places a hand over her mouth to keep whatever she’s thinking locked inside her, only increasing my torment.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I say, slamming the door behind me with my foot.
“Is that so?” she mumbles under her breath. “Because it looks to me like I’ve always been here.”
I walk slowly to her, while she keeps her back to me. She closes her eyes when she feels my breath tickling her ear.
“I guess in a way, you have. So what do you think?”
“They’re beautiful. I don’t even recognize myself in most of them.”
I pull on a raven lock and twist it around my finger.
“They are all you. The real you.”
“I can see that.”
She points to a photograph when she was around fifteen, a small tug of a smile cresting her lips.
“I remember this day. We had been in the river all summer, and I hadn’t gotten the courage to jump off the rope yet. That was the day I finally had enough nerve to do it. I didn’t even realize you had taken your camera with you.”
“I always have my camera with me.”
I stare at the picture in question and cherish it, just as much as I cherish the memory of that day. Valentina looks free as she jumps off in midair, her wild ebony hair blown by the wind as her broad smile takes center stage on her beautiful face. The picture was taken in that split second her eyes remained open before she crashed down into the water, shining with elation and joy that she was brave enough to take the leap after months of hesitation. My two best friends stand in the water beneath, cheering her on, love, devotion, and pride swimming in their eyes, ready to catch her in every leap she ever decides to take.
Valentina’s gaze continues on with her perusal of my homage, while her chest heaves up and down with my proximity.
“Is this why you never let me come up to your room before?”
I don’t reply, instead, I gently push her long hair away from her shoulder to leave her neck exposed to me, so I can plant a tender kiss behind her ear.
“You could have shown me these before.”
“I’m showing them to you now,” I say, peppering her neck with light feathered kisses.
She squirms in place but doesn’t move away.
“But you didn’t show them to me. I invaded your room.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”
She turns around and faces me head on, sadness covering her every flawless feature.
“Why were you talking to Tracy Hollis today?” she questions sternly, her tone accusing.
“Why do you care?” I reply, taking a step back away from her, preferring to sit at the edge of my bed and keep my distance.
She mauls at her lower lip, the sign that tells me she’s not only pissed, but nervous too.
“I care,” she hushes, her eyes lowering to her feet.
An ugly piercing laugh leaves me, making her snap her head back to look me in the eye.
“Do you? From what I’ve heard, you’re Quaid’s girl now.”
Her brows crease in confusion.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Everyone in school is talking about the golden couple. Are you really going to stand there and tell me that