"I want you and you want me. Nothing else matters."
Four years ago, Rachel Evans was destroyed by the only boy she ever loved. Ever since then, she has tried to rebuild her life, but when her safety net--her boyfriend, job, friends, and family--di...
I pry my tired eyes open and squint against the brilliant light of morning. I lie on the ground with my head on Josh's chest where I fell asleep after we talked last night. He must have fetched a sleeping bag at some point since one covers our tangled figures. He wakes up too, sprawled on his back with one arm around my waist. His eyes are half open and sleepy. I prop myself up on my hands and smile down at him, a yawn attacking me.
"What were you two up to last night?" I turn my head to find Jordan standing with hands on her hips, smiling lasciviously down at us.
I roll my eyes at her and extricate myself from Josh and the sleeping bag. When I stand up, I find my butt plastered with leaves and pine needles and I furiously wipe them off. I can't blame Jordan for the innuendo; this does look a little sketchy.
"Sleeping," I growl in response, running a hand through my curls.
One half of my hair is stuck to the side of my head and the other sticks straight out. I'm lucky I didn't terrify Josh when he woke up to my face.
"So that's what the kids call it these days," Jordan teases.
"Just sleeping, Jord."
I rub at my eyes as Jordan says, "Well, I hope you used protection when you slept because you do not want twins."
I glare at her, but my brain's too foggy with sleep to come up with a good retort. The glare does the job and she shuts up, returning to the tent to pack up her stuff.
Josh climbs up from the ground and reaches for me, pulling me into a hug. "Hey," he murmurs, his breath hot against my ear.
"Hey," I answer, a smile in my voice. I wrap my arms around him, hooking my hands on his shoulders. I feel the muscles in his back flex as he pulls me closer.
"Do we really have to go on a hike?" he murmurs. "I'd be fine with letting them go and you and I staying here." He kisses just beneath my ear as he speaks, sending a shiver down my backbone.
I groan. "As if we need Jordan spreading any more salacious rumors." A laugh rumbles in Josh's throat. "Salacious. I like the sound of that."
I pull away from him and shove him in the arm with a laugh. "Oh, shut up. We're going hiking, and it's going to be a blast."
From the tent, Jordan shouts, "No salaciousness on the hike, you two! FYI, Chloe and I can hear everything you're saying."
"You're just upset because we won't hunt salamanders with you," I yell back at her.
"Maybe I'll hunt them by myself!" Jordan hollers back.
I laugh and I memorize this feeling, the beat of my heart and the smile on my face and the sun pouring down on us. This is happiness, and I won't forget it.
~~~~~
A bit of a shorter chapter today, but I promise a longer chapter later this week! Who is your favorite of Rachel's gang? Hina, Jordan, Chloe? Let me know in the comments!
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