The Amazing Story of Us (Liam X Ruby)

The Story of Us

These words are those of the author of The Darkest Minds, Alexandra Bracken.

"-no, just listen. I'm going to tell you the amazing story of us."
Liam cleared his throat again and turned to fully face me. "So, it's the summer and you're in Salem, suffering through another boring, hot July, and working part-time at an ice cream parlor. Naturally, you're completely oblivious to the fact that all of the boys from your high school who visit daily are more interested in you than the thirty-one flavors. You're focused on school and all your dozens of clubs, because you want to go to a good college and save the world. And just when you think you're going to die if you have to take another practice SAT, your dad asks if you want to go visit your grandmother in Virginia Beach."
"Yeah?" I leaned my forehead against his chest. "What about you?"
"Me?" Liam said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm in Wilmington, suffering through another boring, hot summer, working one last time n Harry's repair shop before going off to some fancy university-where, might I add, my roommate will be a stuck-up-know-it-all-with-a-heart-of-gold named Charles Carrington Meriwether IV-but he's not part of this story, not yet." His fingers curled around my hip, and I could feel him trembling, even as his voice was steady. "To celebrate, Mom decides to take us up to Virginia Beach for a week. We're only there for a day when I start catching glimpses of this girl with dark hair walking around town, her nose stuck in a book, earbuds in and blasting music. But no matter how hard I try, I never get to talk to her.
"Then, as out friend Fate would have it, on our very last day at the beach I spot her. You. I'm in the middle of playing a volleyball game with Harry, but it feels like everyone else disappears. You're walking toward me, big sunglasses on, wearing this light green dress, and I somehow know that it matches your eyes. And then, because, let's face it, I'm basically an Olympic god when it comes to sports, I manage to volley the ball right into your face." "Ouch," I said with a light laugh. "Sounds painful.""Well, you can probably guess how I'd react to that situation. I offer to carry you to the lifeguard station, but you look like you want to murder me at the suggestion. Eventually, thanks to my sparkling charm and wit-and because I'm so pathetic you take pity on my-you let me buy you an ice cream. And then you start telling me how you work in an ice cream shop in Salem, and how frustrated you feel that you still have two years before college. And somehow, somehow, I get your e-mail or screen name or maybe, if I'm really lucky, your phone number. Then we talk. I go to college and you go back to Salem, but we talk all the time, about everything, and sometimes we do that stupid thing where we run out of things to say and just stop talking and listen to one anther breathing until one of us falls asleep-"
"-and Chubs makes fun of you for it," I added.
"Oh, ruthlessly," he agreed. "And your dad hates me because he thinks I'm corrupting his beautiful, sweet daughter, but still lets me visit from time to time. That's when you tell me about tutoring a girl named Suzume, who lives a few cities away-"
"-but who's the coolest little girl on the planet." I manage to squeeze out.
"Yep." Liam said. "Wanna try for the ending?"

All of the words above were written by Alexandra Bracken. The Darkest Minds is one of the best books I've ever read and I needed a little bit of happy for the series.