Kapitel 43: Chapter 43

Alex. Smiling and perfect and wonderful. My stomach does flips as I take him in - his usual gray hoodie with jeans and Converse, his short dark hair hidden beneath the hood. But I'm focused on his eyes, which are staring at mine.

I can't help the smile it causes or the blush racing from my head to my feet. "Hey."

He's grinning back just as goofily, and for a moment we simply stare at one another, neither breaking contact. "I got to school late. Otherwise, I would've met you in the garage."

"AJ and I were worried." I clutch my book close to my chest, tightening my bag strap. I love referring to our future fake daughter. It somehow makes this all even more real. "Thought you'd run out on us."

"Never."

Something about the way he says it has me believing him. I know deep down, somewhere too serious to think about, he really means it. He would never leave me. But it's too soon to focus on that. Instead, I circle back to his tardiness. "Everything okay?"