This is where we meet any time we both manage to get back to Belltown on the same weekend. Right in front of Mrs. Peterson’s bookshop. The place we were when we agreed to give us a shot. It hasn’t been easy. It’s hard having the girl you’re just fucking wild about not in the same town as you are. But it’s the hard parts, the lonely nights, the missed phone calls, the frustration, that make all the moments like this so powerful. I thank God every day I got this second chance with Annabel Lee, and there’s nothing that would make me give it up.
“I thought you had some big surprise?” she asks, pushing me out of the road and onto the curb.
“Surprise? Did I say surprise? I don’t remember that. Why would there be any sort of surprise?” I tease. Only ’cause it’s the birthday of the girl who made my world everything that it was.
Annabel Lee rolls her eyes. I laugh. “God, who knew I could miss eye-rolling,” I say, grabbing her and pulling her into another kiss.
“How about you take me upstairs and show me how much you missed this eye-rolling. I dare you to,” Annabel whispers.
Without wasting another second, I lift Annabel up and throw her over my shoulder. Despite her very loud protests to put her down, she laughs the entire way into the Bookie Joint and all the way up the stairs.
“I’m about to show you how much I missed you,” I growl, throwing her on the bed.
“I can’t take you seriously wearing that tie,” Annabel giggles.
“I had a meeting with the managing editor. Had to look my best,” I scoff, pulling off my tie. “Besides, this thing could have other uses than just impressing my boss.”
Annabel pulls herself up so she’s leaning on her elbows. Staring at me, her face all flushed, her breath all heavy, she’s the damn loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. “I dare you to show me,” she purrs.
God, she gets me going. Especially when she says something like that. As much as I want to ravish her right then and there, I have something else to do. “Just give me one moment, Le Chat.”
Annabel groans and throws herself back on the bed. I can’t help but chuckle, a little proud I get her going, too. When I return to the bed, I take her hand and pull her up, so she’s sitting next to me. I place the wrapped gift in her hands.
“I thought you said there wasn’t a surprise?” she asks.
“Did I say that? Hmm. I don’t remember saying that. Open it.” My throat goes dry as she gets to work.
“Double Trouble Double Dog Bubble Dare: The Sequel,” she reads aloud as she pulls out the book. I kept my copy of the real book on my desk at work. After about the billionth joke from Ryan, who worked in Comics, he finally asked me about it. When I told him the story, it suddenly occurred to me that with his help, I could write a sequel. Sure, no one would see it but us, but Double Trouble Double Dog Bubble Dare was only the start of our story. The pages I sent to Annabel back at the end of the summer were about our past; this was about our future.
Ryan drew the pictures and I wrote the story. The story of Annabel and Kennedy. The couple who would dare each other to make long-distance work. The couple who would dare each other to go to another music festival. The couple who would dare each other to follow their dreams of becoming a writer and a historian. The couple who would dare each other to love each other forever.
When Annabel finishes reading the book, she looks up at me and places a hand on my cheek. “I dare you,” she promises.
“I dare you, too.”
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Acknowledgments
When I started this book, my life was one thing, and as I wrote it, it became something else. It has been a journey, and I am so thankful to the people who helped keep me sane. You know who you are. To my grandmother—whom I lost unexpectedly while writing this—you are missed. More than any collection of words can express. To my fairy editor godmother, Stacy, your wisdom and patience continue to amaze me.
About the Author
Tiffany Truitt lives with her Netflix and junk food in Virginia. She is a graduate from Longwood University with a Masters in Literature from Old Dominion University. Previously she has worked in the realm of Young Adult literature having written The Lost Souls Series, Because You Exist, and The Language of Silence. This is her first New Adult book.
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Seven Ways to Lose Your Heart Page 21