Approaching Storm (Alternate Worlds Book 2)
Page 52
She felt a wry smile. ‘You need me?’
A faint grin moved his lips. ‘That’s one way to look at it, yeah.’
She touched her tongue to her upper lip in a smile. ‘I’ll have to admit, it’s been pretty dull!’
He leant forward, snarky grin on his face. ‘Oh? Life of chips and shops too boring for you?’
She laughed. ‘Just a bit!’ She grew serious. ‘I made the biggest mistake of my life when I let you walk away from me.’ She shook her head. ‘I tried to believe you, what you said. I thought in the long run maybe it would be better, like you said.’ Tollin studied her, face unfathomable. ‘Trouble is,’ Sam continued, ‘I couldn’t do it. Now that I know what I’m missing, how could I ever go back? After the…splendour I’ve seen…’
Tollin walked a few steps closer, watching her closely. His hands once again stuffed deeply in his pockets.
‘I can’t just go back to my life of shops and gossip and…nothing! I can never go back to that. I will always do whatever I can be like you and I want my life to have some meaning.’ She shook her head, grinning. ‘Now that I finally know what I’m without, I can’t just let you leave me. You made me feel so alive. I didn’t feel…whole without you. I know I never will.’
Tollin gave her a queer look. ‘You’ve obviously been thinking about this a while.’
Sam cracked a smile. ‘Nonstop! I just didn’t think I’d get a chance to ever tell you.’
Tollin had started grinning. He pulled her to her feet. ‘So, you’ll come with me?’
Sam spun in to lean up against him. ‘I’ve been hoping you’d say that ever since you left!’
Tollin’s wry grin grew wider. ‘Well then, that was easy!’ He let out a slight laugh. ‘I didn’t even have to give you that speech that I had marginally written!’
Sam grabbed his arm with a laugh. ‘Wait, a speech? I want to hear!’
Tollin fanned her away. ‘No, no, no. Adventure, Sam! That’s what awaits! You and me, we’re going to be brilliant, I just know it!’ He was growing more excited by the minute. ‘And how could we not? You’re got me now, after all!’
Sam realised she was grinning like an idiot, but she didn’t care. Tollin was back! She grabbed his hand in order to keep him still for half a second. ‘Hang on, where are we going?’
Tollin flashed her a wild grin. ‘Anywhere you want, Sam. Anywhere you want! What do you have in mind?’
Sam pressed her lips together to force her smile to not overcome her. ‘I’ve got a few ideas.’
Tollin beamed from ear to ear. ‘Then let’s go!’
About the Author
Taylor Leigh is a geeky Greek girl who's been in love with writing ever since she learned how to. She’s loved stories and books her entire life and is happy she gets to spend every day with them, since she work at a library. She loves all things science fiction and fantasy and sees a great need to put it in all she writes. Writing is one of the things in life that brings her the greatest joy and she love hearing what other people have to say about it. Please visit her on TaylorLeighWrites.blogspot.com, where you can find more about her books and other ways to contact her.
Cover art by Tillieke