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Prologue

August 30, 2013

Paisley

I FIDGETED WITH e to say what I’d held back for so long Twelve years Twelve years of waiting, hoping, and aching were about to come to an end With a deep breath in, I looked up into the blue eyes of uy I aer for me I look at him, and I have no doubt of that I have no doubt that I could spend the rest of ed "And I know that sounds crazy after only a feeeks, but, honestly, I knew it the first day I met him I don’t kno to explain it It wasn’t like the world stopped turning or anything, there was just a feeling I had" Sing past the tightness in lanced away for a e I’d been building up all week "But there’s this other guy, and I swear this guy owns my soul"

Eli crossed his arms and his eyebrows rose, but I didn’t allow myself to decipher what his expression could mean at that moment If I tried to understand him--like I always did--then I would quickly talkfor far too long

"Eli," I whispered so low the as almost lost in the chatter from the other people in the coffee shop "I have been in love with you since I was thirteen years old," I confessed, and held my breath as I waited for any kind of response froed for a few seconds until suddenly his face lost all emotion But it was there in his eyes, like it alas: denial, confusion, shock

I wanted to run, but I forced myself to blurt out the rest "I’ve kept quiet for twelve years, and I would’ve continued to if I hadn’t met Brett These last feeeks have been casual, but I knoants it to be more But if there is a chance of an us, then there would be absolutely no thoughts of anything else with him"

Eli just continued to stare atas I silently begged hi his best friend, of being used by hi tortured by his pretending touches and kissesI was slowly giving up on us I couldn’t handle the heartache anyain I couldn’t continue being his favorite person in the world for an entirely different reason than he wasaround for Eli Jenkins

This was it for me

"Eli, I need to know" I exhaled softly and tried to steadyas I asked, "Is there any possibility of there being an us?"

Chapter One

Two months earlierJuly 5, 2013

Paisley

"YOU LOOK LIKE someone just ran over your cat, wrapped it in Christmas paper, and delivered it to you for your birthday while saying, ‘Trick or treat’ "

I blinked quickly as the bar where we spent hts, O’Malley’s, came back into focus I shot my friend Kristen a look, and stammered, "I don’t have a ca-- My birthday is in SeptemberWait, none of that made sense"

She jerked her head in the direction I’d been staring blindly at "Exactly, and if he’d taken one look in this direction, he would’ve dropped that girl like she was on fire and co with you"

"That obvious?" Kristen nodded, and I groaned "The only good thing about Eli being in Texas last weekend was I didn’t have to watch hi over to where irl he’d just met as he leaned down to kiss her, I sed past the lunore the way it felt like I was five seconds fro up