*Book one in the Again series*
After a heated argument lands him in the spare bedroom of his grandparents' rancher, late bloomer Leon Snyder finds his love life heating up after multiple unsuccessful run-ins with a mysterious girl. Despite his faile...
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I'm woken up to the soft pitter-pattering of rain against my window. Looking through the slits of my tired eyes that are nearly glued shut from sleep, I toss a quick glance over at my clock to see that it's nearly 9 a.m. For a fleeting moment, I consider closing my eyes and curling up in bed, allowing sleep to take me again. But then I realize that the sooner I get out of bed, the faster I get to see my girl and her beautiful face again.
I get dressed and leave home without eating despite my hungry stomach's loud protest urging me to, and drive straight to Katie's house. I figure since it's still early and she's not due in for work for another hour and a half that we can grab a bite to eat together before I drive her to work.
As I'm raising my arm and balling my fist to knock on Katie's door, I hear Hilary and Tucker barking from the backyard and Katie's voice commanding them to quiet down. I head for the side of the house, where the gate to the privacy fence is. Memories fill my mind as I unlatch the gate, reminiscing on when me and the guys trespassed. It seems so long ago, but it's only been a couple of weeks.
And boy, has a lot changed and happened since then.
Katie sits on the grass, her back facing me and her head bowed down. The dogs rush over to me, jumping and clawing at my legs–thankfully I'm wearing jeans, or else I'd get scratched up for sure with how long Hilary's claws are. Katie says she can only trim one nail at a time, but only when she's in a deep, deep sleep.
Katie's head raises from its previous position as she turns her head to glance at me over her shoulder. I'm relieved she doesn't seem startled by my presence in the yard; usually when I creep up behind her like this, it takes her back to that night–the night Peyton followed and attacked her.
That's another thing that feels like a lifetime ago.
Instead, the reaction slashed across her features doesn't resemble panic–it resembles exhaustion and . . . Stress? I'm not sure, I'm still learning how each emotion reflects upon her expression.
Squatting down, I take a seat beside Katie on the grass, leaning back on my palms as I straighten out my legs. I press a kiss on her cheek. "Hi, baby. You good?"
She hasn't uttered a word since I entered the yard, but somehow, she manages to grow even quieter, staring off at the clouds in the sky. It's taking her a while to respond, but I'm not going to push her–she knows that I'm here for her, if and when she's ready to talk. Swallowing, she says, "Can you . . . Help me carry things?" Her question quickens my pulse, but I nod my head regardless, eager to know what's going on in that head of hers. "I'm feeling overwhelmed."
"Anything you're feeling overwhelmed about in particular?"
"Everything," she laughs a sullen laugh. "I just feel . . . I feel like I haven't had time to get adjusted to one thing before the next happens." Her focus shifts from the clouds to watch a leaf falling from a nearby tree and onto the dying grass. "One minute, I'm looking for a house, then the next, I'm moving. One minute, I'm talking to you about the hurt my father has caused me, then the next, I'm forgiving him for it and welcoming him back into my life. One minute, my parents aren't talking–or so I thought they weren't–then the next, they're a couple again and living together. It's just a lot, and I guess it's all starting to catch."
