He kissed the side of her cheek. "Good."
"Let's go." Taking his hand, they stepped into their past.
Sound hit them like a wave when they walked through the door. The bar clearly hadn't been updated in the years since her graduation. Red vinyl booths lined one wall while scarred tables filled the front of the bar. Everything from initials in hearts to calculus equations had been carved into the worn surfaces. They used to try a different table every time they'd come here, looking for new and more interesting marks left by other students.
Walker strode forward, leading her to a booth she remembered well.
A handwritten "reservation" sign sat propped against a barely lit candle in the center of the table.
"I didn't think Sammy's did reservations," she said, sliding into their old booth.
"You should have heard the laughter when I asked for one," he agreed. "Luckily, they were open to a very generous donation from a former alum."
"That checkbook does come in handy every now and then."
No sooner had they taken their seats when a frazzled waiter rushed over with two pints on his tray and a plate of her favorite fries.
"Gotta say, as an adult this looks less appealing," she said, pulling a cheesy fry free from the pile.
"The truth is in the taste I guess," he replied, reaching for his beer.
As soon as the fry hit her tongue, she couldn't help her laughter. It tasted the exact way she remembered. Greasy, oily, and yet so addictively good.
"I'm glad I don't have easy access to these normally," she said as she reached for another.
"The beer is just as I remember it, too."
"No-name cheap stuff that's never seen the inside of a fridge?"
"The very same."
Lifting her own beer, she clinked her glass to his. "Here's to new beginnings," she said.
"And better decisions," he replied.
"It was sweet of you to bring us here. I would never have thought about coming back, even though it's only a subway ride away."
"I haven't been back either. But this is the place I first wanted to ask you out, so it seemed appropriate to return."
She choked on her beer. "What? You wanted to ask me out when we were in college?"
"Yup." He saluted her with his drink.
"Why didn't you?" she demanded. She knew why she'd kept silent in their early years. He'd been dating her best friend, and by the time they'd broken up, it had always felt too late. Like they'd missed their chance. By then, they'd been such good friends that she'd been afraid to do anything to jeopardize that. Besides, it'd felt disloyal to date an ex of her closest friend at the time.
Years later, it was Walker who'd stayed in her life, not her roommate. The idea that she'd stayed away from him because of a woman she barely remembered was ludicrous in hindsight.
"I was going to," he said, reaching for some fries. "I asked you here one night and we sat in this booth. Then you carved this into the table." He moved the candle to reveal their initials. Amidst years of graffiti, it still held its own little square of space. Their initials were followed by an equal sign that pointed at the end of the scrawled autograph.
"Friends 4ever," she read, shaking her head at the spelling.
"You had such a wide smile as you used your keys to write this. Then you looked up at me and made me promise it was true. That'd we'd be friends for the rest of our lives."
She swallowed hard. "That's why you never asked me out?"
He trailed his fingers down her cheek. "In that moment, I was torn over what I wanted more. I'd never had a relationship that lasted very long."
"Some things never change."
"I thought about my options. I could have you for a limited time as my girlfriend. Or I could be your friend. Forever."
"You picked friendship," she whispered.
"I did." He interlaced their fingers. "We've had ten years to build our foundation. Who knows what would have happened if I'd said what I meant to all those years ago?"
If he'd asked her out, she would have accepted. He would have been her first real boyfriend and, like most firsts, they probably would have ended up crashing and burning. When he'd left school, she would have felt like he was abandoning her, and she would have done something drastic like dumped him. Or he would have made his first million and streaked ahead of her, not wanting to be held back by a college sweetheart. One way or another, they would have been torn apart had they started too young.
Or maybe we would have been the exception. Maybe we would have loved each other enough to weather any storm. We would have married. Would have had Hunter together.
Her heart twisted. Who knew what might have happened to them had they picked a different path years ago in this booth?
"We'll never know what would have happened," she said, squeezing his fingers. "But we're not college kids anymore, uncertain about our future or what we want."
"No," he agreed. "I've finally figured that bit out."
"And?"
"You," he said simply. "I just want you. For however long we have."
Her heart cracked open in her chest. "Me too," she murmured. "Just you."
She slid closer in the booth until their bodies pressed together. All she had to do was lift her face and he was there. Kissing her with infinite gentleness. This time they'd pick a different path in this booth. And she hoped, after all these years, it finally led them to a future together.
"Excuse me."
They broke apart to see the waiter was back with a tray full of food. The kid quickly filled up the table with every item they used to consume with gusto.
"Your grand plan was to win me over with cheap beer, chicken fingers, and chili dogs?" she asked.
"Pretty much."
She kissed his cheek. "It's like you're a genius or something."
"Every now and then I have my moments."
"A baby-free evening and all the junk food I can eat. This is so much better than chocolate or flowers."
"Dig in." He passed her a plate, which she eagerly filled.
They fell into easy conversation as they put away their meal. The room was filled with memories and they merrily relived the best of them. The late nights at house parties that ended with early morning runs to Sammy's for a greasy breakfast to get them back on their feet. Evenings spent with Walker trying to teach her the basics of the math she'd need to get through her courses until it'd become apparent she was not the whiz with numbers he was.
She'd been worried then, when she'd seen how brilliant he truly was. She'd feared he'd leave her behind, but he never had. She'd been at the launch parties of every product he'd developed. Smiled at the cameras during the unveiling of his current corporation. He'd never once made her feel like she no longer belonged in his life, even when his bank account doubled, then tripled hers.
"What?" he asked, finishing off his second pint.
"I was just thinking how lucky I was," she said truthfully. "In school, I worried you'd grow too far beyond my reach. But you never left me behind. Not even when I'm sure it would have been easy to."
"Losing you was my biggest fear when I dropped out. I promised myself if we could weather that, we could make it through anything." His eyes met hers.
Her breath caught at the words. He might not have said he loved her, but did she have any doubt when he looked at her the way he was now?
She didn't need any big declarations. Didn't want sweeping gestures. If he needed to think this was temporary to help him wrap his mind around a new baby and a new girlfriend, that was fine. This was all she needed. Proof that they'd been meant for each other right from the start when she'd carved their initials into the wood.
"I like remembering how we started," she said. "But I'd rather enjoy where we are now."
"What do you have in mind?"
Pushing her beer away, she ran a hand up his thigh. "Let's go home," she purred. "There are things we can do as adults that we would have been terrible at as kids."
"Speak for yourself. I was born gifted in the sack."
"Really?"
"No. My first time lasted all of two minutes."
She laughed. "Think you can improve upon that tonight?"
"Oh, sweetheart," he said, cupping her face between his palms. "You have no idea the plans I have for us."
A shiver raced through her. "Promises, promises."
"Then let me prove them."
Sliding from the booth, he reached out a hand to her.
Glancing at their initials scribbled into the table, she interlocked her fingers with his. They may have come back to their past, but she was far more interested in their future.
They'd waited long enough to start it.
Chapter Sixteen
"How goes the love fest?" Diane said over the phone.