Finally Us (Next Generation #5) - J.M. Walker Page 0,11

years old in fact. He had his whole life ahead of him but in his eyes, he had one mission and one mission only.”

“What mission was that?” I asked, hanging on to every word Vince was saying.

“To make the girl of his dreams notice him. You see, she was older than him. Not by a lot but enough that it would be frowned upon for them to be together. Especially at that age.” Vince kissed my shoulder again, his eyes not moving from mine. “So he spent the next few years, growing up and being the man for her. But she was hesitant. He wasn’t sure why, but he made a promise to her that he would prove just how much they should be together.”

“Did they end up together?”

“Not sure.” Vince inched closer to me, his gaze falling to my lips. “They’re still living their story.”

“Is the story about us?” I whispered.

“It could be about many people, Queenie,” he murmured.

“I’m not scared,” I corrected him. No, in fact, I was excited. I wanted to be with him, but it was new. He never gave me any reason to believe that whatever he wanted with me, would only be casual but I still wanted to take it slow. I had seen our friends go through so much in such a short amount of time. I found myself wanting to take this one day at a time with Vince.

“I never said you were scared, Queenie,” Vince pointed out. “You’re hesitating but that’s fine. I’m still not going anywhere,” Vince said, resting his head on my pillow. “Sleep, baby. Everything will happen as it’s supposed to.”

***

(Vince)

After Gigi fell asleep, I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning. I eventually went to the couch, tried sleeping there, and when that didn’t work, I went back and joined her. She had moved and was sprawled out like a starfish across the bed. I couldn’t help but chuckle. So that was what I got to look forward to whenever we ended up together for good.

My little story I told her earlier had been the truth. We were meant to be and she was who I wanted, but my feelings for her still scared me. They scared me because I knew that I would do anything to be with her. I would go through anyone and everyone to have her in my arms for good. I had known for a while that my feelings for Gigi ran deep. They bordered on obsession. I lived and breathed her. I damn near worshipped the very ground she walked on. When she smiled, everything was right in the world. When she laughed, it was like time stopped. I made it my mission to keep her happy. To keep that smile on her face and to make her laugh as much as I could.

A couple of hours later and I was still on the verge of snapping. Giving up on sleep, I left her warmth and got dressed. Making my way out into the hall, I glanced back at Gigi’s still form. When she didn’t move, I softly closed the door behind me.

Once I stood in front of Piper’s old room, I pushed the door open. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The room was filled with boxes but all of Piper’s stuff was no longer there.

My thoughts traveled back to that night that felt like it had been so long ago. Gigi’s party. A vile monster who didn’t get what he wanted but attempted to take it just the same.

Although a friend had gotten shitfaced and I was taking him home, I couldn’t help but stay back and watch Gigi. Before everything went down, she laughed and smiled whenever the conversation had called for it, but something was still missing. It had amazed me how no one else saw it. But I could.

Heading to the kitchen, I looked for everything I needed to make Gigi her morning tea. While most of us were coffee drinkers, she liked to be different and enjoyed herbal teas to help start her day.

“Vince?”

I jumped, spun around, and found Gigi standing in the entranceway to the kitchen. “Morning. I was making you tea,” I told her, nodding toward the kettle.

“Really?” She came toward me. When she was standing directly beside me, I couldn’t help but notice the faint scent of her sweet perfume. It was a mixture of candy and cake. It wasn’t too powerful, but it could sure bring me to my