They stop outside my door and whoever it is knocks.
“Come in,” I say, since I know it isn’t her.
“Hey,” Beau says.
“What are you doing?” I sit up. “My mom will kill you if she catches you in here.”
“She’s the one who sent me up,” he says. “To help you with your bags.” Beau looks down at the floor where my suitcase is lying open and empty. “You haven’t packed yet?”
“I don’t want to go.”
“I don’t want you to, either.” He reaches for my hand and pulls me off the bed and into his arms. He kisses the top of my head and holds me. He doesn’t say anything else because he knows there isn’t anything else to say.
“Maybe I can stay with you guys,” I say into his shoulder. “I can keep working at the café to help your mom instead of paying rent.” I look up into his blue eyes, which seem to have lost their sparkle. He gives me a sad smile before bending down to kiss me. His hands slip under my shirt; they feel warm against my back.
Usually, this is when I’d brush his hands away and tell him to stop.
But this isn’t usually.
I pull away from his kiss, only for a second so he can see that I’m smiling, so he knows it’s okay.
The smile he gives me back is anything but sad. With his lips on mine, I let his hands drift a little higher. I step closer into his embrace and his hands fall back down to the curve of my waist.
My lips don’t leave his, but I take a step back. He closes the gap, not allowing any distance to come between us. I take another step back and he follows, like a dance. I stop when I feel the edge of my bed behind my knees. Bringing my arms up around Beau’s shoulders, I pull him with me as I lie down.
He pulls back and stands up. “What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I reach for his hand and pull him toward me, but he resists. I frown. He’s the one who’s been testing the limits since whatever this thing is between us started.
“Shit, you’re beautiful,” he says, taking a step back. “I want to be with you more than anything.”
“I’m right here,” I say. “But we’re leaving soon.”
“I know. We should get you packed.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” He turns around and opens the door to the closet, where all my dresses are hanging. He starts taking them off the hangers one at a time, folding them into my suitcase.
“Everything okay up here?” Aunt Jill asks, coming around the corner and into my room. I can tell from the expression on her face that she’s surprised not to have caught us doing something like what we were doing just a few minutes ago.
“I’m helping CeCe pack.”
“You’re not packed?” Aunt Jill shakes her head. “Okay, well, hurry up. Your mom’s almost ready to hit the road.”
I roll my eyes and hope Aunt Jill knows it’s directed toward my mom, not her.
“Are you going to help me or what?” Beau asks, once his mom is out of earshot.
“I thought you didn’t want me to leave.”
“I don’t,” he says. “But it’s not up to us.” I get up and walk between him and my suitcase. He leans down and gives me a quick kiss before turning back to the closet to get more clothes. I step behind him and wrap my arms around his waist. “You’re not helping,” he says. “Look, my mom is already talking about coming to visit. So I’ll see you soon, and we can talk and text all the time.”
“It won’t be the same.” I drop my hands and step away, looking down for a second, which is all it takes for my stupid glasses to slip. I’m seriously getting contacts as soon as I get back to Atlanta. I’ll call and make an appointment myself, just see if Mom can stop me.
Beau drops the sundress he’s folding into my suitcase. It’s the blue one I wore to the barbecue on the Fourth of July. It feels like that was a million years ago, not just a month.
I look up and meet his eyes for a second, and I have a feeling he’s thinking the same thing. In the time it takes me to look away, his arms are wrapped around me, hugging me tight.
“Ahem.” I look up to find Abigail standing in the open doorway with a