Holding On Read Free Page B

It’s the eternal kind of love. He’s my best friend and always will be. This news would not break us—that’s why she sent him to find me. Damn her!
    “Fine. You are not going to like this, though, and it will probably ruin your birthday. So when I start to cry and fall apart again, you cannot blame me when we show up to your party, with me looking like a freak in hot pink rain boots.” I was trying to get him to smile, but his face stayed the same. His mouth was firm, not a trace of amusement at all. No use is stalling. Just say it. Quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid. The quicker you do it, the less it hurts. Right?
    “Mom found a new job,” I continued. “We have to move to Tucson at the beginning of January.” I was crying again before I finished my statement. I was able to get it out without any emotion in my voice, but the tears running down my face conveyed everything I was feeling for me. I was beyond sad, beyond angry. I was devastated. This small town was everything I needed. It was my home, and I was being torn from it without a second thought from my mom. Realization hit hard then—I only had three weeks before I was leaving.
    “It’s going to be just fine, and you know it.” He stated it so simply. He made it sound like it wasn’t life-altering news. He made it sound like he wasn’t the slightest bit affected by this. Then it hit me. He already knew.
    I stepped back, and his hands fell to his sides. He went to reach for me to pull me back in, but I took another step back. The look on his face was of genuine concern. We had known each other long enough to know when the other one was lying. He was definitely not lying, but omitting. He took a step toward me and tried to grab for my hand, and I pulled away. The look of anger on my face must have been apparent because he stopped mid-step and pulled back.
    “When,” I asked him, “when did she tell you?”
    The blank stare was a dead giveaway. He tried to pull me in for another hug, but I pushed him away. My blanket fell to the ground, and I left it there. I turned my back on him and walked away. I couldn’t believe he knew before I told him. He made me tell him, made me say the words. He made the situation real when I was forced to say it out loud. Was he on her side? Did he really believe that everything was going to be all right? Did he want me to leave?
    I was practically running by the time I reached my car and jumped in. I started it but just sat there. I was in no condition to drive. The tears were flowing freely again and dropping on my sweater from my chin. The heater started to kick in, and I could almost feel my toes again when I noticed that Brad was standing in front of my car just watching me, holding my ugly orange blanket. We made eye contact, and that was all it took. I gave in, just like always. He was no match for my willpower. One look and I would melt like butter over an open flame. Damn him!
    I unlocked the doors and motioned for him to get in. Once the door was closed and the only sound was the hot air rushing from the vents, he turned toward me and ran the back of his hand over my cheek, wiping away freshly fallen tears. This is the man that I love. His friendship means everything to me, and I was going to leave him. There would be phone calls, emails, text messages, and visits, but things would never be the same as they were right this very moment.
    “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” I started, but he put his finger over my lips to silence me. I had seen him do this before with Claire, with his other girlfriends, but never with me. We didn’t share those types of moments. The kind of moments that cause all of the air to rush out of your body had always been reserved for his girlfriends, not for me. My body immediately tensed up, and my eyes opened wide. I turned to face him better and knew what was going to happen only mere seconds before it did.
    He leaned forward and kissed me. It was gentle and innocent, but my entire