“Wh-at?” I stammered out. “I can’t do that.” I couldn’t remember the last time I had been to church and I was pretty sure if I stepped into one, I would probably catch on fire.
“Adelaide, God is very forgiving. Now is the time that you need to be looking for guidance and the church is one of the best places for that. It is not up for discussion, so be ready at nine o’clock sharp.” He pushed in his chair and stood with his plate in his hand before heading to the kitchen. Grams gave me a small, reassuring smile before doing the same, leaving me at the table alone.
Today had been exhausting to say the least, and I had so much to look forward to tomorrow. Maybe thinking I would get a fresh start here was completely wrong. It seemed like my past would always catch up with me.
Chapter 6
Church had been…interesting. I was introduced to just about every member there, very few being under the age of thirty. I couldn’t help but think that everyone was judging me as I sat there, but they all seemed friendly enough.
I collapsed on the porch swing when my grandparents dropped me off before heading into town and squeezed my eyes shut. I wasn’t used to getting up that early and had caught myself falling asleep on more than one occasion. I really needed to rest up for tomorrow since it would be moving day, and I would be meeting my two roommates that I knew absolutely nothing about. Fun times.
“Della?” A deep voice called out forcing me to open my eyes, and I sat up straight when I saw who was standing in front of me.
He, of course, had changed over the years, but those brown eyes still twinkled with amusement and I would recognize them anywhere. His nose still remained crooked, which I knew for a fact was that way because a certain girl had punched him square in the nose for insulting her frilly pink dress.
He had grown over the years and was now most certainly even taller than me. He was lean and fit but not too muscular that he looked like a body builder, and I noticed the cords in his arms when he reached one hand up to rub at the stubble on his head as I stared at him, just glimpsing a flash of a tattoo on his forearm. His sandy brown hair that used to grow wild was now closely shaved and looked even lighter than I remembered against his deep brown tan.
The smirk that crossed his lips brought back memories of all of the adventures he used to drag me on over the years, no matter how unwilling I was.
Nash Griffin.
One of the truly real best friends I have ever had.
“Well, are you just going to stare all day, or are you going to give me a hug?” I jumped up, tearing my eyes away from this grown up Nash that I wasn’t used to, and he wrapped his arms around me, lifting my feet off the porch. I buried my nose in the crook of his neck, breathing in the soapy smell that was one of the most comforting things about Nash and now was mixed with spicy cologne.
He finally set me back down on my feet, pushing back a strand of my hair and grabbing on to one of my hands to drag me back onto the porch swing. “Are you going to say anything? Shouldn’t I be the one surprised that you are here? You figured you would see me, right?”
I cleared my throat, turning sideways to look at him. “Sorry, of course I figured I would see you. I guess I just didn’t really have time to think about it since coming here was sort of a surprise for me too. It’s good to see you, Nash. I’ve missed you.”
He squeezed my hand lightly before pushing off the porch and swinging us as high as possible. The simplest things were all about the thrill for Nash ever since I had known him. “I’ve missed you too, Della,” he replied quietly. “And I’m glad you’re back. How long are you visiting for?”
“Actually, I’m back for awhile. I start at UNC next week, and I’m moving into the dorms tomorrow.”
“Really?” His brows shot up, and he gave me a wide smile. “That’s awesome, Della. I guess we’ll finally be able to catch up after all of these years. I can’t wait to hang out.” We both turned when we heard the crunching of gravel, and Nash quickly let go of my hand when a black car pulled into his driveway.
“We’ll have to catch up later though. Let me know if you need any help moving in tomorrow.” He skipped the steps, hopping straight off the porch and gave me a wave while jogging backwards. “Glad you’re back, Della.”
“Me too,” I shouted after him. I watched as he ran back over to his house and yanked on the driver’s door that had just pulled in.
A girl with stick straight black hair and dark mocha skin stepped out, instantly throwing her arms around Nash’s neck and planting a kiss on his lips. For some reason, a shot of jealousy ran through me that I had never felt before. I had no idea why.