Still the One (Book 2 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

4 | Home Again

There she goes
There she goes again
Pulsing through my veins
And I just can't contain
This feeling that remains

-Sixpence None the Richer, "There She Goes"

Rachel

"I've been thinking, Luke," I started as I zipped my duffel bag. "Maybe you should just let me and Miles go back to PCB this time."

"What?" he asked, looking up from the TV. Miles just sat silently – this had been my idea, and he wasn't sure Luke was going to go for it.

"I just... I don't think it's going to be good if you run into Brooke. Just let us bring your stuff back. You said you'd already packed Brooke's things, right?" I asked, tossing the duffel bag in the floor next to the door.

He turned around to face me. "I mean, yeah, but..."

Miles caught my helpless stare. "I think she's right, bro. Just stay here and get settled. Go shopping, apartment hunting, get your books, whatever," he said, and I nodded encouragingly.

He looked between us and sighed. "Fine. I don't really want to make that drive again today anyway."

Miles clapped him on the back and they both stood up. "Great. We'll be back Sunday, okay?" 

"All right," he said. "Be careful... let me know what happens?"

"Sure," I said, and I was only half lying. I didn't plan on telling him anything about Brooke, because I was pretty sure of what I was going to find when we got there.

Nothing good.

Miles

We'd been driving for about an hour and a half when I glanced over at Rachel. She was still asleep, and my heart swelled at the sight of her tanned face, the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, and her slightly parted lips.

I hated to wake her, but we were almost to Panama City. I reached over and brushed my fingers across her bare knee. She stirred and turned her head to look at me. "Hmmm?" she asked.

"We're almost there, baby," I said, squeezing her knee softly.

"Oh, really?" she asked, yawning and stretching her hands above her head.

"Yeah. Where do you want to go first? Your parents' or mine?" I smiled at the ability to claim Luke's house as my own – it never got old.

"Let's go see my parents first. If we pick Brooke's box up at your house, I won't be able to resist going to see her first."

"Fair enough."

A few minutes later, we were pulling in front of Rachel's house on Seahorse Lane.

She jumped out of the Jeep before I could open the door for her, grabbed my hand, and drug me up the sidewalk. I raised my fist to knock, but she just burst through the door.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" she called, just like she did when we were in high school.

"Rachel?!" her mom called. "Is that you, darling?"

Susan came around the corner, and her eyes were wide in disbelief. "I didn't know you were coming!" she cried, pulling us both into a hug.

"I know! I wanted to surprise you!" she exclaimed.

"You look beautiful, baby girl," Susan gushed, and then looked at me, putting her hand on my cheek. "You look good, Miles. Baseball going well, then?"