Better If He Goes (Always You #1) - Allie Everhart Page 0,4

keep staring at me?"

"Because I haven't seen you forever."

"You saw me three months ago. I haven't changed in three months."

"Yeah, you have. You stopped wearing all that makeup, and your hair is different."

"The makeup was taking too long to put on. I figured I don't need to look all made up just to sweep hair and wash towels all day."

"You look better without it. And I really like your hair that way."

"Thanks. I still straighten it if I go out, but for work I've been leaving it natural."

"I like it. You should wear it like that all the time."

"Really?" She picks up some of her hair and looks at it. "I guess the curl isn't that bad. It's more of a wave than a curl. Kind of reminds me of that girl you used to date. What was her name? Jen? She was really cute, by the way. You should've kept dating her."

Jen was cute, and really nice. She was on the swim team and had a great body. She was also pre-med, so really smart. I dated her junior year for three months, but the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about Riley, and not in a friend way. I kept thinking about kissing her when I was kissing Jen. It wasn't fair to Jen, so I had to break things off with her.

The same thing happened with Isabelle, a girl I dated last fall. She looked really similar to Riley, which is probably what drew me to her the night I met her at a party. I wasn't thinking that then, but I realized it weeks later when I sent Riley a photo of her. Riley joked that Isabelle looked like her twin. I told her she was crazy, but it was true. And it confirmed what I'd known for years but wouldn't admit. That I'm in love with my best friend.

By love, I don't mean the friend kind of love, although I do love Riley that way and tell her that all the time. She tells me too. We casually say we love each other but in a friend way, like a quick "love you" when saying goodbye. Or when she's sad or upset about something, I'll pull her against my side and say "love you" but it comes out more like a brother would say it. That's how she takes it and how I've always intended for it to sound because I wouldn't let myself accept how I really felt about her.

But now I know for sure how I feel, and I need to tell her. In a few months, I'll be leaving for a job and I want Riley to come with me. I want her to move in with me and for us to be a couple. I'm not sure if she'll agree to it. Even though she wants to move out of this town, she worries about leaving her mom. Riley is more like the adult in the relationship and her mom is like a teenager, dating losers and being reckless with money. But if Riley knew how I felt about her, I think she'd be open to coming with me wherever I end up. Of course, this is assuming she loves me the same way I love her, which I think she does. I just need to be sure, which is why I'm not going to tell her my feelings just yet. I'm going to give it some time and see how she acts now that I'm back in town.

"I don't know why you guys like this shit," Pat says, setting the bacon and pineapple pizza on the table between Riley and me. It has two kinds of bacon; Canadian and regular, and then we have them sprinkle the top with red onion, which cuts the sweetness of the pineapple. Everyone thinks it's disgusting, but Riley and I love this pizza. It's one of the many things that makes me think we belong together.

"Best pizza ever made," Riley says, taking a slice.

Pat sits next to her in the booth, resting his arms on the table and giving me a smile. "Welcome back, dude."

"Thanks. Just got into town."

Pat went to high school with Riley and me. He started working here when he was sixteen and never left. He's the assistant manager now.

"So you're done with school?" he asks.

"I am," I say, grabbing a slice of pizza. "I'm officially a college graduate."

"Got a job yet?"

"Haven't even started looking. I'm giving myself the summer to