by Susan Oloier
“You could have mailed it to me.”
“You gave me the wrong box. Mine is supposed to play Chicago.”
“Oh yeah?” he says. “I think it was meant to play I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” His eyelashes lift and his guilty look meets hers.
“The cufflink isn’t the thing I forgot to give you,” Leah says.
She steps up to Everitt’s level, takes his hand.
“I should have given this to you a long time ago.”
As soon as Leah leans into Everitt, she feels every nerve awaken, and she can barely keep track of the pulse of her heart. His breath is already warm on her skin, but Leah shutters as Everitt’s fingers brush her cheek, trace a contour line along her jaw. She almost unravels.
“Leah,” Everitt breathes.
As her name escapes his lips, she falls up toward him and moves her mouth to his.
They fold into the other's embrace, and the kiss is long and passionate. It is safety and trust—all the things missing with Charlie.
Leah reels back and draws in a burst of oxygen.
The rain stops, and they look up at the sky.
“Did you know tomorrow’s February 15th?” Everitt asks.
“It is?”
“We still have a few hours left in today,” he says.
“Who needs Valentine’s Day when we have…” She stops.
“Forever?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Want to come inside anyway? We never did play that game of Yahtzee.”
Leah smiles.
Rainwater spills from the street into a run-off drain. The billowing water ebbs and a car's headlight reflects off of the butterfly pin attached to Leah's pajamas.
“It’s the only place I want to be.”
About the Author
Susan Oloier lives in the Southwest with her husband and two sons. She loves to bike ride and rock climb. She's been published in national and regional magazines, such as The Daily Beast, as well as online. She had a two-year-long stint as a magazine columnist for an outdoor publication. She writes both adult and young adult contemporary novels, along with a middle-grade series with her older son. She’s the author of the bestselling young adult novel, Outcast. When she's not working on a new manuscript, she can be found hanging out with her kids or reading a book.
Contact
You can connect with Susan by subscribing to her newsletter https://eepurl.com/k82rL
or by visiting her
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanOloier/?fref=ts
At her website: https://susanoloier.com/
And occasionally on Twitter: https://twitter.com/narrawriter
Other Books by Susan Oloier
Outcast. Noelle risks friendship, her first love, and herself to get back at those who have wronged her.
Fractured. Anna Kincaid’s miscarriage creates a chasm in her marriage, and the couple find themselves moving in different directions.
Haunted. The story of three teens whose lives cross after one fateful night, proving that one night changes everything.
Superstitions. When teenager Ellie meets quirky Alexander and learns about his map, his quest, and his background, she finally discovers a way to heal from the disappearance of her mother.
My Life as a Misfit. In My Life as a Misfit, Susan Oloier shows the humorous side of growing up in the 1980s from the perspective of a less-than-popular misfit.
My Mom is an Alien (with Justin Hatfield). Zac Miller's telescope spots a strange object that jets out of the sky and lands in his backyard. Is it the UFO he and his friend, Carl, have been hoping to see? Or is it all in their imaginations?
Simple Fugitives. Margie Green leaves her life behind and becomes one half of a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.
And coming this spring…
Mosaic. When Natalie Kirkland kills a man in a hit and run, the pieces of her life fuse with the dead man’s, and Natalie needs to decide if she should save herself or save the man’s family.