The Last Song - Страница 68

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“When are you getting in?”

“Let’s see…” She could almost see him squinting at his watch. “I landed a little more than an hour ago.”

“You’re here? Where are you?”

It took him a moment to respond, and when she heard his voice again, she realized it wasn’t coming from the phone. It was coming from behind her. Turning, she saw him in the doorway, holding his phone.

“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist.”

Even though he was here, she couldn’t quite process it. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again.

Yep, still there. Amazing.

“Why didn’t you call to let me know you were coming?”

“Because I wanted to surprise you.”

You certainly did, was all she could think. Dressed in jeans and a dark blue V-neck sweater, he was as handsome as she remembered.

“Besides,” he announced, “there’s something important I have to tell you.”

“What’s that?” she answered.

“Before I tell you, I want to know if we have a date.”

“What?”

“This weekend, remember? Are we on?”

She smiled. “Yeah, we’re on.”

He nodded. “How about the weekend after that?”

For the first time, she hesitated. “How long are you staying?”

He slowly started toward her. “Well… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you remember when I said that Vanderbilt wasn’t my first choice? That I really wanted to go to this school with an amazing environmental science program?”

“I remember.”

“Well, the school doesn’t normally allow midyear transfers, but my mom’s on the board of trustees at Vanderbilt and she happened to know some people at this other university and was able to pull some strings. Anyway, I found out while I was in Europe that I’d been accepted, so I’m going to transfer. I start there next semester and thought you might want to know.”

“Well… good for you,” she said uncertainly. “Where are you going to go?”

“ Columbia.”

For an instant, she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. “You mean Columbia as in New York Columbia?”

He grinned as if he’d pulled a rabbit out of his hat. “That’s the one.”

“Really?” Her voice came out as a squeak.

He nodded. “I start in a couple of weeks. Can you imagine that? A nice southern boy like me stuck in the big city? I’m probably going to need someone to help me get adjusted, and I was hoping it might be you. If you’re okay with that.”

By then, he was close enough to reach for the loops on her jeans. When he pulled her toward him, she felt everything around her fall away. Will was going to go to school here. In New York. With her.

And with that, she slipped her arms around him, feeling his body fit perfectly against her own, knowing that nothing could ever be better than this moment, right now. “I guess I’m okay with that. But it’s not going to be easy for you. They don’t have a lot of fishing or mudding around here.”

His arms moved around her waist. “I figured.”

“And not a lot of beach volleyball, either. Especially in January.”

“I guess I’ll have to make some sacrifices.”

“Maybe if you’re lucky, we can find you some other ways to occupy your time.”

Leaning in, he kissed her gently, first on her cheek and then on her lips. When he met her eyes, she saw the young man she’d loved last summer and the young man she still loved now.

“I never stopped loving you, Ronnie. And I never stopped thinking about you. Even if summers do come to an end.”

She smiled, knowing he was telling the truth.

“I love you, too, Will Blakelee,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again.

About Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most loved authors. His novel, A Bend In the Road, reached number two in the New York Times bestseller list and The Rescue was a number one. His other books, The Notebook, Message In a Bottle and A Walk to Remember – were international bestsellers that have been translated into more than thirty languages and adapted into major films. He is also co-author of Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.


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