Chapter 4

Am I dreaming?

As the cab pulls over, my heart races uncontrollably. I haven't seen her in four years. Not since that night. I still remember every painstaking detail of it. And yet, here I am, without a plan, without a clue as to how this will go. All I know is that I'm desperate to see her.

The sun hits my eyes when I open the door and step out of the cab.

"Need any help with your bags?" the driver asks, his voice gruff as he glances at me through the rearview mirror.

"Nah, I'm good," I reply, squinting against the glare before reaching for my suitcase.

The driver gives a curt nod, and as I shut the door, he takes off, disappearing into the traffic. I tighten my grip on the handle of my suitcase, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.

Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone, the screen lighting up as I bring up her location. We've always shared our locations with each other, even when we were living thousands of miles apart. It was our way of staying connected, of feeling close despite the distance.

I glance at the map, confirming she's close by, and my lips twitch into a half-smile as my heart beats faster. After all this time, I'm finally going to see her. My thumb hovers over her contact, then finally lands, pressing the call button.

Here goes nothing.

"Hello?"

Her wary tone makes me smirk, as I try to find her in the crowd. "You sound scared."

"You never call me at this time," she replies, suspicion lacing her voice. "What time is it over there?"

She's right, but what she doesn't know is that I'm not in London. I grin as I reply, "Twelve-thirty."

"What?" Her voice rises in disbelief. "That's not possible. It's twelve-thirty here."

I chuckle. "I know."

My eyes sweep through the crowd, and then…

There she is.

My heart lurches in my chest at the sight of her. I suck in a breath, feeling a rush of emotions as I take her in. It's surreal to see her in the flesh again, and for a moment, I forget to breathe.

Fuck.

She's so fucking beautiful.

How is it possible that she's somehow even more beautiful than I remember?

A smile curves my lips as my eyes drop to her outfit. From the gym bag thrown across her body, I assume she just came from dance class, which explains the black sports bra, baggy white sweats, and my old blue baseball cap she stole from me way back when.

"You know…" I say, a grin spreading across my face as I gaze at my best friend. "I'm going to want that baseball cap back."

I watch as her hand instinctively reaches up, touching the fraying edge of the cap, and her eyes widen in disbelief. "What? How did you—" Her eyes dart around, then lock onto mine, and for a moment, time stands still, and the air is wiped clean out of my lungs. It's been so damn long since I've had her eyes on me. "Am I dreaming?"

I shake my head, laughter bubbling up inside me as I meet her gaze head-on. "It's way too early for that."

"I can't believe this," she murmurs, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you really here right now?"

"Come here, and find out," I reply, unable to suppress the grin spreading across my face. If I have to spend one more moment without her in my arms, I'll go insane.

Without a second thought, she drops her gym bag and races toward me, a huge, gorgeous smile lighting up her face. A laugh escapes me as I quickly pocket my phone, barely having time to prepare before she jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist.

I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her. Tears prick my eyes as I finally feel her against me. God, I've missed her. It feels like my soul is whole again when she's in my arms.

"You're here," she murmurs against my chest. I tighten my hold on her, savoring the feel of her in my arms. Her head fits perfectly against my neck, and I let out a shaky breath, feeling her cling to me.

"How are you here?" she asks again.

I chuckle, blinking away the tears threatening to spill. "There are these things called planes," I joke, trying to lighten the moment. "Not sure if you've ever heard of them before."

Gabi pulls back a little, playfully slapping at my chest before lifting her head to meet my gaze. Our eyes lock for the first time in forever, and it almost knocks the wind out of me. I love her eyes. The striking blue contrasts beautifully with her dark brown hair, and it leaves me breathless. She looks like a goddess.

Her breath hitches as we stare at each other for what feels like an eternity. Don't want to look away, though. I don't want to let her go, I don't want her out of my arms. But I know I have to.

"You should probably get down," I mutter, even though it's the last thing I want.

"Yeah." Gabi releases a heavy breath, and we linger in the same position for a few more seconds, neither of us wanting to break this moment. Eventually, she chuckles, unwinding her legs from my waist to slide down my body.

"God, I forgot how short you were," I tease.

Gabi doesn't reply immediately, her gaze fixed on me, clearly surprised. "I can't believe you're here," she says again.

"I decided to surprise you," I tell her, though that's not quite the whole truth. As soon as I heard Gabi tell me she wanted me here, I couldn't resist. I never could resist when it comes to her.

"Well, that was a hell of a surprise," she scoffs, a hint of amusement in her tone. "But why are you here?"

I shrug, meeting her gaze with a smile. "I decided to come spend the summer with you."

Her eyes widen. "Wait. Really?"

"Yeah," I reply, nodding, my lips twitching.

"The whole summer?" she asks. "Two full months?"

"Two full months," I confirm, a grin spreading across my face. "I have to go back to school in September."

"I can't believe this." Her grin is so infectious, I can't help the smile widening on my face. Missed seeing that. "Where are you staying?"

My smile fades, and I curse under my breath. "Shit. I didn't think about that." The only thing on my mind was seeing her again. After that, it's like my brain shut down.

Booking those plane tickets was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I didn't consider what I'd do here or where I'd stay. All I heard was Gabi saying she wished I was here, and the next thing I knew, I was on my way.

I think I'd do anything she asked, without hesitation. And that's always been the case.

"You didn't think about where you'd be staying?" she asks, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Come on, Chris. You're the organized one."

I let out a scoff. "Looks like you've become a bad influence, again."

She smiles, her gaze meeting mine with a hint of mischief. "Just how I like it." Glancing behind her, she adds, "There's a café over there, and I'm starving. Want to grab a bite before we figure out all the boring adult things?"

"Lead the way."