Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 39

-----betty------

“Don’t miss me too much,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to James’s lips outside the basketball team’s service bus. I tried to memorize everything in that moment... his taste, the faint trace of mint on his breath, the warm curve of his hands on my waist, the way the sun painted gold into his eyes when he smiled.

His hair was soft between my fingers. The familiar weight of his presence steadied something in me. I didn’t want to let go.

“I’ll be back two days before prom, baby,” he murmured against my temple.

“Still,” I said. “A week… seven days without holding you feels like asking a flower not to lean toward sunlight.”

He chuckled and pulled me tighter. “Don’t get swayed by anyone while I’m gone,” he said in a voice that was half-teasing, half-aching.

I laughed gently. “No one can take me away from you, my Mojo Jojo.”

“I love you, Buttercup.”

We stood there for another second, arms locked, time pretending to pause. But it didn’t. It never does.

Around us, the goodbyes hummed like background music. Inez clung to Tim like he was about to be shipped to war.

“If you stop texting me, I will riot,” she warned him dramatically.

Tim laughed. “I’ll still text you between drills, babe. Promise.”

“You better,” she said, poking his chest. “Or I’ll switch to James.”

James rolled his eyes. “Not happening.”

Then came Drake and Corey... quietly powerful in their own rhythm. Corey didn’t hesitate. He just walked up and kissed Drake’s cheek before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend like they were shielding each other from the world. Drake leaned into it, pressing his forehead against Corey’s. It was soft. Intimate. Unapologetic.

“I packed your allergy meds,” Corey muttered with mock annoyance. “And your second inhaler.”

“You’re perfect,” Drake smiled, their fingers intertwining.

“Obviously.”

They kissed, just once, but it was enough to make the moment feel like a homecoming. Inez nudged me and gave me a soft look. I nodded.

Some kinds of love don’t need declarations. Just presence.

The coach’s whistle broke the moment.

“Alright boys, on the bus!”

James hugged me once more. “Call me later, yeah?”

“I will,” I promised.

As the engine growled to life and the bus began to pull away, we stood on the curb waving like children chasing the end of a carnival. Inez sniffled. “Time for… dress shoppingggg!” she announced dramatically, grabbing both Corey and me by the elbows.

We giggled like something sweet had just burst in the middle of a bittersweet goodbye.

But even through the laughter, I felt it... that slight ache beneath my ribs. The kind that reminded you someone you love is just far enough away to miss.

The boutique sat on the corner of an old street, its window lined with mannequins frozen mid-spin in gowns of satin, silk, and shimmer. The bell chimed above our heads as we stepped inside... an old, tinkling sound that reminded me of my mother’s sewing kit, back when I used to play with buttons while she hemmed skirts.