Who We Could Be - Chelsea M. Cameron Page 0,39
with bad bangs again.”
No idea how Monty slept, but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything she’d told me. Should I have known? I mean, that was ridiculous because she didn’t even know. Sure, I’d hated TJ, but I probably would have hated just about any guy because he wasn’t good enough for her. I’d sucked it up and kept my mouth shut as much as I could because she asked me to.
Now that he was out of the picture, she could be free and figure out what she wanted, and I was going to be by her side for every single step. Coming out was a huge deal, and I didn’t want her to feel forced or like she owed anyone anything. Her parents weren’t all that supportive in anything she did, so there was probably going to be no support there, but she’d all but severed ties with them years ago. My parents, of course, would have completely open arms, so no stress there.
This had been quite the trip for both of us, and tomorrow we had to get on a plane and go back to our regular lives, both holding her secret and keeping it safe.
To pass the time until she woke up, I made a mental list of all the books she could read. If there was one thing I could do, it was recommend a book. Sure, she was a librarian, and probably knew about most of the titles I came up with already, but I wanted to contribute in some way.
The other thing I couldn’t stop going over was her behavior in the lesbian bar. It was probably just dealing with her sexuality, but that didn’t explain why she’d acted so possessive when Lucinda (what a gorgeous name) had tried to hit on me, which I wasn’t even sure that’s what she’d been doing. I was probably just making too much of it. She was probably just trying to be nice to someone who looked like she was in from out of town. She’d had a soft southern accent that I envied.
I mean, I was as straight as could be, I just knew a lot of queer people. And now one more, I guess.
Monty was withdrawn, but contemplative, on the trip back home. I honestly wasn’t looking forward to having to go back to my life, but I’d missed my family and Gus and the bookstore, so it was a mixed bag.
“Call me later, okay?” I asked, as she dropped me off at home after a seriously delayed flight. I wanted to ask her to come in, but I also knew she needed some time alone to decompress after being on the plane and being in a new place. I also really needed a shower and a nap. Knowing Monty, the first thing she’d do when she got home would be unpack her suitcase and do a load of laundry. Overachiever.
“I will. And thank you. For coming with me and for everything else.”
I pulled her in for a tight hug and smacked a kiss on her cheek.
“I’m always here if you need me, Ford, even though bestfriendimoon is over and you never admitted I’m right.”
Although I couldn’t see her face, I could feel her rolling her eyes.
“I love you too, and I’ll never admit it.”
COMING BACK TO REALITY was rough. Even though I’d been in the same time zone, I was still convinced I had jetlag, even though Monty insisted that was impossible.
“Listen, time moves differently on planes,” I said a few days later, when we were walking on the beach in the surf.
“Have you unpacked your suitcase yet?” she asked, leaning down to pick up a shell before discarding it. Monty always ended up with pockets full of shells and interesting rocks when we came here. She had an incredible knack for finding seaglass, which was so rare now with the profusion of plastic bottles.
“No comment,” I said. We both knew I hadn’t.
“What am I going to do with you?” She smiled and shook her head.
A seagull waddled along ahead of us as three children threw themselves into the waves with screams.
“Have you thought anymore about what we talked about in Savannah?” She hadn’t brought it up and I’d been giving her space the past few days.
“It’s been pretty much all I’ve thought about, honestly. I’ve been a mess at work because I can’t think of anything else. The reading list has been helpful for when I can’t sleep.” It hadn’t escaped my notice