Free Sparrow by Sara Mack, Chris McGregor

laugh.  “I want to.”
    “What’s
that supposed to mean?”
    She
sighs.  “It’s nothing.”
    “No. 
It’s something.”  I take a step forward and reach for her.  “Talk to me.”
    She
gives me a wary look, and I grab her hand.  “C’mon.”
    “Where
are we going?”
    “To
the dock so we don’t have to whisper.”  I doubt Kevin will hear us, but I’m not
sure about Gram.  I don’t want to wake her and have to explain why we’re
outside in the middle of the night.
    As
I lead Addison down the hill and to the lake, my mind scrambles.  I don’t think I did anything wrong, but she’s acting funny.  She’s never been emotional
around me before.  Then again, I’ve only known her for two and a half months.
    The
thought stops me short.  It’s not a long time.  But, for me, it is.  I feel
like I’ve known her my whole life.
    When
we reach the dock, I take a seat on the bench and pull her onto my lap.  She
settles onto me and arranges the blanket over us, then buries her head against my
neck.  Inwardly, I groan.  The warmth of her body pressed to mine is amazing. 
After tonight, it’s going to be awhile before I feel it again.  September can’t
get here fast enough.
    “So?”
I ask as we wind our arms around one another.
    “So
what?”
    “Are
you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
    “You’re
leaving.”
    “I
know that.”  I move my head to the side to look her in the eyes.  “What else?”
    She
grimaces.  “Landon.”
    Instantly,
my jaw clenches.  Who the hell is Landon?  “Keep talking.”
    “Landon…he’s
the guy who left me after prom.”  She presses her forehead to my neck again. 
“He…we…he was my first,” she explains.  “We’d been dating for months.  He kept
asking, I kept stalling, and then, the night of the dance, I caved.”  She
pauses.  “The next day, he broke up with me.”  A snort of laughter escapes
her.  “He said I wasn’t good enough.”
    Anger
surges through my veins.  What I wouldn’t do for two minutes alone with this
guy.  It wouldn’t take me any longer than that to beat the shit out of him.
    My
arms hold Addison tighter.  “I’m sorry he did that to you.”
    “Yeah,
well.”  She shrugs.  “It was my mistake to trust him.”
    A
realization starts to take over.  “Please tell me you don’t think I’m the same.”
    “I
don’t.  You’re completely different.”
    I’m
confused.  “So why…?”
    She
lifts her head.  “When I couldn’t sleep, I started to freak out.  What if,
after these next few weeks apart, you decide I’m not what you want?  I won’t be
there to convince you otherwise.  I’ve given you everything.  What if you
decide there’s nothing left to come back for?”
    She
can’t be serious.  My eyes lock on hers.  “Addison Renee.”  I recall her middle
name from the night we almost got caught half-naked in her room.  “I thought
you had the forever moment.”
    “I
did.”
    “Okay,
then.  Stop worrying.”
    She
stares at me.  “But, you never said it.”
    “Never
said what?”
    “That you did.”  She purses her lips.  “You never said you had that moment
too.”
    She’s
right.  When she asked me about it, I confirmed her question with a kiss, not
words.  I thought kissing her would mean more.  I guess I was wrong.
    I
lean forward, so we’re nearly nose to nose.  “I had the moment.”
    A
slow smile creeps across her lips, and I decide to plant a soft, full kiss on
them.  “Nothing will change how I feel about you.”
    Once
I say those words, her body relaxes in my arms.  Her full weight falls against
me, and I realize how tense she really was.  I had no idea she was so stressed
over this.  I decide to lighten the mood.
    “Do
you know why my feelings will never change?”
    “Why?”
she asks sleepily.
    “Because
this,” I slide my hand down to cradle her ass, “fits in my palm perfectly.”
    She
rolls her eyes and lets out a small laugh.  “I