"SOMETIMES I WONDER HOW IN the world I was ever lucky to meet someone like you. I mean, it isn't possible to meet someone such as yourself, right? People like you simply do not exist. Yet, here you are, breathing and all. Your chest rises and falls with each breath you take and your smile sends a wave of different emotions throughout my body. I don't know how I ever became this lucky but I am thankful for this. I'm thankful for you. You're pretty damn special, Gwen, and I don't ever want you to forget that. In fact, I know you won't forget it because you're my glowing girl. You're different from everyone else I've ever met and together, we're stronger and we're able to make it through any obstacle the world throws our way.

Gwen, even though I say this a million times a day, I love you. My entire heart goes to you and I wouldn't have it any other way. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. If I had not met you that one autumn eve's night, my life would be on a completely different path. A path that I cannot imagine. I have been put on a path that I did not know of. We were both put on the path of love and we found each other because of it. You saved me and I saved you.

Now, I know we were mixed in things we should have walked away from but you know what? We are still together and we are still going strong. Our past does not define us because we can always change in the future. We're slowly changing, Gwen. The people we were yesterday are not who we are today. Tomorrow, we will not be the same people we were today. We'll continue to change every day and I do not mind. Why is that, you ask? I don't mind, Gwen Walker, because I'm evolving with you."

• • •

I blinked several times before my eyes decided to stay open for quite some time. I scratched my head and looked around at my surroundings. I was in Harry's red truck and I was stretched out across the back seat. A yawn escaped my lips and I noticed I was the only one here. Both Harry and Greysen were gone and I was confused. I looked out of the window to see I was in a parking lot for a furniture store. Had they already gone inside? Soft music played and I looked toward the front of the truck. The radio was on and I noticed the key was still in the ignition. Was Harry insane? Someone could have easily gotten in with me still here. I was asleep, meaning I would have never known until it was too late.

It took me a minute to get out of the truck because I had no idea where the door handle was. Once I found it, I got out of the truck and opened the door to the driver's seat. I took the key out and made sure the doors were locked before going toward the store. My hair was probably all over the place and I wondered how horrible I looked at the moment. There were not many cars out in the parking lot and I had a feeling it was not going to be hard to find Harry and Greysen. The store looked small and if the two of them could be loud at my home, they could be loud in the store. Their voices would lead me to them.

The automatic doors opened before I even had the chance to step onto the mat and I wrapped my arms around myself as the cool air conditioning met my skin. I had hoped I would spot the two of them right away but I was never that lucky. They were nowhere to be seen and I had no idea where to start looking for them. Things seemed to be scattered all of the place and this bothered me. I felt weird standing by the doors and I started walking around the store, hoping they would pop up out of nowhere.

I passed by multiple grandfather clocks and little things I did not have time to look at. As I got closer to the back, I noticed there were a couple of desks here and there. Unfortunately, Harry and Greysen were still nowhere in sight. I kept walking and tossed Harry's keys into the air, catching them and tossing them back up again. Why would Harry leave me in his truck? He probably did not trust me, so why did he leave me with the key? I knew he considered us to be friends and this entire situation felt weird. It was weird to hate someone and then want to be friends with them once you realized they were no longer going to talk to you again, right?

I soon spotted Harry standing beside a wooden desk and I quickly went to join him before he decided to walk off and leave me again. He smiled as I approached and his eyes went to his set of keys. I tossed them in his direction and he caught them almost immediately.

"You left me in the car." I said.

"You were sleeping."

"Someone could have taken your truck."

"But they didn't."

"I could have taken your truck."

"But you didn't."

"You could have woken me up, you know."

"Why would I have done that?" he asked. "You looked so peaceful."

"I thought I had a say in the desk we were getting?"

"Well, there it is. Have your say."

I took a step back and looked at the desk in front of me. It was simple but I knew it was going to look amazing in the shop. It was a light shade of brown and it was about the same size as the desk that was now in my bedroom. I ran my fingers along it and it was smooth. I was not going to have an attachment to this desk but it was all right. I had the other one and I was thankful.

"Where's your friend?"

"Getting someone to come assist us," Harry explained. "I think this is the one."

"Did you look at the desks toward the front? They were pretty snazzy."

"Snazzy?"

"That's what I said."

"They're too small."

"Well, that's saddening. They were—"

"Snazzy?"

"Shut up."

"What do you want for lunch?"

I glanced up, "Hmm?"

"Lunch. Food. What do you have a taste for?"

"We're going to get lunch after this?"

"Unless you want to starve."

"I kind of want to go home after we purchase the desk."

"You're not any fun."

"No one told you to come over and try to break into my house. Today was supposed to be a relaxing day for me."

"But now you're hanging out with the greatest man alive. So, you should be happy because you're not missing out on all the fun."

I rolled my eyes just as Greysen returned with a woman wearing a red polo and blue jeans. White sneakers covered her feet and she moved quickly. She had a name tag but because she kept moving, I was unable to read it. She was pretty, though, and caught the attention of Greysen. I rolled my eyes at how he was practically drooling over the woman. Harry, on the other hand, remained calm and was not drooling at all.

The woman's curly, red hair was down and it stopped just a little after her shoulders. Freckles covered the middle of her face and they were throwing a party on her nose. Her eyes were green but they were not like Harry's. His made me want to stare into them for hours. Hers were just...green. Nothing about them was hypnotizing. She was smiling—like every good worker should do to make the customers feel important—and there was a small gap between her two front teeth. It was not a flaw on her, though. It simply made her look even more beautiful.

"This desk?" she asked, her Southern accent sticking out like a sore thumb.

"This desk," Harry responded.

"I'll have someone take it to the pick-up lane. Do you know where that is?" she questioned him and he nodded his head. "All right. You'll be paying in the back, too."

"We're not paying in the front?" I asked.

The woman shook her head, "You only pay in the front if you're buying small household items. Things that are big like this are paid for while they are being put into your vehicle. You wouldn't pay for a lamp back there, would you?" I blinked. "No, you wouldn't because it's very easy to get the lamp out to your car."

"Thank you, Amanda." Harry smiled.

"Anytime," she said. "Someone will meet you around back. Take your vehicle."

She walked away and Greysen started to get himself back together. He awkwardly cleared his throat and when he caught me staring, he quickly gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture and he smiled that lopsided smile of his. I started walking back toward the front and Greysen and Harry were behind me like a couple of bodyguards. Both of them were extremely tall compared to me and as we walked, I had a feeling they were so close that they looked like two skyscrapers behind a McDonald's.

"Hey, how'd you know that lady's name?" Greysen asked and I thought the answer was pretty obvious.

"I read her name tag."

"Well, she was hot." Greysen pointed out and I shuddered. "I would treat her with some respect. Mm-hmm."

"Eh," I assumed Harry was shrugging his shoulders. It felt right with his response. "I only believe two women are hot and I respect both of them."

"Is Jillian one of them?"

"Of course."

"And who is the other woman?"

There was an awkward silence and when we approached the doors, I started walking slower. The feeling in the atmosphere was slowly changing and it made me uncomfortable. I knew I was not supposed to be listening to their conversation but I was curious. Besides, they were right behind me. Greysen had stepped on my heels a couple of times but I let it slide. It was my price to pay for listening in on their conversation.

"The woman who raised me," Harry finally said.

"Clare?"

"And here I thought I was friends with an idiot."

"That's horrendous." Greysen sounded like a child who had just seen broccoli for the first time. "You just called her hot."

I snorted.

"Eh," I pictured him shrugging again. "Find something funny, Sydney?"

"Nope," I said, not turning around to look at them.

The automatic doors opened and I waited for Greysen and Harry to catch up. Greysen was now on my left and Harry was on my right. Harry's red truck stood out in the parking lot because most of the other vehicles were either white or black. Simple. We approached the truck and when Greysen grabbed the door handle for the passenger's seat, Harry shook his head. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Greysen to see how hurt he looked. He was a very odd man and I guess that was why he and Harry were such good friends. They were both odd.

"I refuse to sit in the back." Greysen whined.

"Let Sydney have a turn."

"I bet she was comfortable in the back. Weren't you, Sydney?"

"Well, actually—" I started.

"See? She agrees!"

"Trade places with her." Harry said.

"Um, if you haven't noticed, my legs are pretty long and hers are pretty short. My knees are going to be pressed against the back of the seat!"

"That's not my problem."

"We're not friends anymore." Greysen was shooting beams at Harry with his eyes.

"I can sit in the back." I said. "Honestly, it isn't a problem."

"Nope," Harry smirked. "Get in the front."

Greysen opened the door anyway and when I thought he was going to get in, he stepped to the side and nodded his head toward the truck. I got in and he shut the door for me. He was smiling now and once again, I thought he was an odd fella. Harry got in next and Greysen took his sweet time getting in. I waited for Harry to leave him but he never did. I smiled to myself. They were cruel to each other but at the end of the day, they were still friends. Were they best friends? Probably. They acted like it and they were extremely comfortable around each other.

I buckled my seat belt and turned my attention to the window. There was not a car in the parking spot in front of us and Harry decided to drive forward instead of backing out. There were many trees on the side of the shop and as we made our way to the back, I noticed how beautiful the bark was. I had seen many trees where the bark looked old and not even close to being beautifully brown like these trees. I was tempted to pull out my phone to take multiple pictures but Harry was driving a little too fast. The pictures would had been blurry.

Harry stopped the truck and when I turned to look, he was getting out. Greysen leaned forward and I moved over some to give myself some personal space. He looked at me and I only looked back at him. He was not smiling and neither was I. In fact, I felt as if we were a couple of children having a staring contest. He scratched the tip of his nose and cleared his throat. His eyes were still on me, though.

"Hey," he finally said.

"Hello, Greysen."

"Remember when I asked how you liked Seattle?"

"I remember. Yes."

"And you told me to ask you again later?"

"Mm-hmm."

"So, how are you liking Seattle?"

"Greysen," I laughed. "I still haven't done much since you asked me the first time. How am I supposed to answer your question when I haven't even explored the city?"

"Well, are you going to Harry's tonight?"

"I don't know."

"You should go," he said, sitting back against his seat. "You'll have a blast."

"Really?"

"We're a bunch of goofs. You think Harry and I are weird when we're together? Just wait until you meet the others!"

"And what if I don't go?"

"You just don't go," he responded. "However, if you do go, you're going to have a lot of fun. Did Harry mention bringing your swimsuit? If not, you should probably bring it. You're going to feel left out if you don't."

"I won't know anyone there." I frowned. "I'm going to feel left out, anyway."

"I'll be there." Greysen placed a hand on his chest. "We can keep each other company. Harry has an aquarium in his living room. I usually stare at the fish for a little while when I'm there. You could join me."

"Fish?"

"Attractive fish."

"Odd."

"Perhaps."

I looked out of the window and saw Harry swiping his credit card. The desk was already in the back of the truck and when I looked back at it, it was secured in a box. Greysen looked back at it, too, and he seemed more fascinated by it than I was. I had a feeling he picked out the desk and not Harry. The man and Harry exchanged their goodbyes and Harry got back inside of the truck. I grabbed my purse and pulled out my wallet.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked him.

"What are you talking about?" Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"We're all pitching in for the desk, right? And since you went ahead and paid for it, I owe you something. Correct?"

"Wrong," he said, taking the truck out of parking gear.

"Huh?"

"Greysen owes me money, though."

"I'm broke." Greysen said from the back seat. "Good luck with getting any money out of me."

"He's lying." Harry sighed. "Grab my phone for me, please?"

"Sure." It was between the seat and I grabbed it. "Do you want it now or...?"

"Texting and driving is bad, Sydney," he shook his head. "Put in my password."

"Like I know what that is."

"Press zero four times."

I did what he said and his phone unlocked. His background was a picture of him and Jillian. They looked to be at a party and they were having a splendid time. Red lipstick covered Jillian's lips and it suited her well. I still hated her, though. Something about her was off but I was unable to put a finger on it. I was not too curious about her and I was not in any rush to find out more about her. She was the least of my concerns.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Go to my contacts and add yourself."

"Okay. Wait—What?"

"Add yourself to my contacts. I'm going to text you my address later on."

"I didn't say I was going."

"Well, just in case you do decide to go, you'll have my address."

I stared down at Harry's phone and tilted my head to the side. He assumed I was going to go even though I did not give him a direct answer. I honestly wanted to go but at the same time, I did not want to. I wanted to stay home tonight and do absolutely nothing. It was Saturday night, the only night where I could actually relax. Friday nights were exhausting because of work and Sunday nights were full of getting ready for Monday. Saturday night was considered to be more of a 'Me Night.'

I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth and stared at the screen. I could relax if I went to Harry's tonight. He said there was going to be beer and pool time. What was more relaxing than that? I went to Harry's contacts and started to add myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harry constantly looking over at me to see what I was doing. I saved the contact and stared at it. Mother did not want me to give my number out to anyone but Harry was not anyone bad. As Greysen had mentioned earlier, he was nothing but a goof. Sure, he was rude to me in the beginning but he had his reasons, I suppose. He was much nicer to me now and it was making me forget about how he was before.

Maybe it would be all right if I went to his little gathering tonight.

Maybe things were going to be exciting for me for once.

Maybe.

Just maybe.