Golden Rain [COMPLETE]

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"Do you want me to test you? Maybe someone saying it out loud can help it get in your head better," I suggested.

She huffed out a breath of air and turned her gaze toward mine. She let out a slight chuckle, mostly humorless, and shook her head. "That's sweet of you but I already tried that over FaceTime with my brother. It hadn't helped a wink. I think my mind's just exhausted. I need a long, refreshing break." She shot me a smile. "You are my break right now."

Laughing, I laid down on my stomach next to her, resting my chin on my hands. "Sounds good to me. I don't really feel like trying to study anymore either." Not that I could when I was trying.

"So..." she started after a second. "That leads me to the other reason why you're here..."

Oh. Right. That. I flicked my gaze away and stared at the wall in front of me with a deep breath. "I wish I could say I've thought about it more but everything has just been so busy, it's been hard to remember."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nod. "That's okay. I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. That's the last thing I would want to do."

"And you're not. You're being really patient with me and I appreciate it."

Glancing at her, I saw the corner of her mouth lift up momentarily before falling again. "Of course I'm patient with you, idiot. You're easy to wait on."

I wasn't exactly sure in what sense she meant that, but I didn't comment about it. Instead, my mind circled with a question, one I really wasn't so sure I wanted to ask. But I knew I needed an answer. Because I'd worry myself to death if I didn't know. "Could I ask you something, Sav? And could you be completely honest with me?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" She turned her head to look at me while I continued to stare at the wall, not sure if I could get the words out of my mouth or accept her answer if I was looking at her, too.

Letting my eyes fall shut, I let a breath slip from my lips before going for it. "If... If I end up not choosing this, choosing Christianity—and I'm not saying I'm not, just... if it happens—will things be too weird between us? Will it mess things up?"

I expected her to think about it for a moment, but her response was almost immediate. "No. No matter what you choose, I won't judge you. I'll still be here."

Peeking, I met her eyes. "For real?"

A soft smile graced her lips and I fought back the urge to reach out and run my finger over that sweet, gracious smile. "Kason, I would love it if you accepted Jesus. It would rock my world because I would know that this friendship wouldn't only last this lifetime but all of eternity. But at the end of the day, no matter what you choose, I'm going to make this friendship at least last on this earth. I'm not promising I'll never bring it up again, but I'm not going to shove Jesus down your throat. I won't get mad at you and storm off. I wouldn't throw something like this away so easily."

She'd said it all straight to my face, our eyes locked together, so I could see the earnesty written clearing across her expression. I could see how much she wanted me to understand what Christianity could do, but I could also see that she'd let me decide on my own. And the gratitude and relief that those things caused within me grew until I felt like I was going to laugh. Maybe it was an overreaction. But at the same time, I knew it wasn't. She was too perfect and I didn't deserve her.

"I thoroughly don't understand you," I muttered with a small chuckle.

She smiled, raising a brow. "What do you mean?"

"How do you put up with me?"

She nudged my shoulder slightly and breathed a laugh. "It's easy. The real question is how you put up with me."