Seven years ago

"How was your road trip?" Mom asks. Devin and I are sitting at the table eating breakfast. Our legs are pressed together and we keep bumping our feet together. I can't stop smiling and blushing and looking at Devin.

"It was..." I trail off to look at Devin. "Really fun."

"Yeah," Devin says.

It was fun. We went camping and it was really awkward and tense, and a lot of weird stuff happened. I jumped out of the car when we were stuck, Devin gave me the necklace back, we both had to sleep in the same sleeping bag. And Devin told me he loved me.

And now we're together. I keep smiling when I remember what happened in his car. There was a thunderstorm, but Devin was warm and everything was perfect. It's weird that we've barely been home for a day.

"How was the rest of your summer, Devin?" Dad asks.

Devin shrugs. "It was fine. Pretty boring." He looks at me. "Riley was definitely the highlight."

"Thanks," I mutter as I blush and look down at my plate. I stand up. "Are you done?" I ask Devin.

He nods and hands me his plate. I scape our plates into the garbage and rinse them in the sink. Devin stands up and looks at my parents. "I think we're gonna go for a walk. But I'll help Riley get all of her stuff."

"Sounds good," Mom says.

Dad nods. "Have fun."

I grin at Devin as we walk out of the house. Once we're far enough away, he slips his arm around my shoulders.

"I was the highlight of your summer, huh?" I ask as I look up at him.

"Definitely," he says. I run my fingers over the hand that's draped loosely across my shoulders. We're walking on the sidewalk and we're almost to the park. It's sunny and hot, but there's a cool breeze.

I'm so stupidly happy. There's absolutely nothing that's wrong right now. Devin loves me. He really fucking loves me in the way I always dreamed he would. It's the kind of heart-stopping, pulse racing, fairytale kind of love. It's the kind of love that's driven by need and passion but it's never going to burn out. Devin loves and needs me as desperately as I love him. And now, he's mine

Devin's mine.

And that means I don't have to hold back or only hold him in the dark. I can touch him as freely as I want without having to worry about going too far or doing more than a best friend should. And Devin loved me all along too. Maybe that's why we always woke up tangled together.

There really isn't a single thing wrong right now. It's the very start of us.

"You ready for college, babes?" Devin asks.

I grin as I lean into his side. "Yeah." I pause as I look up into his grey eyes. "We still have a few days of summer left though."

Devins grins as he leans down and kisses my cheek. He sends chills down my spine and I feel his lips curl into a smile against my cheek. It's like he knows exactly how to touch me and make me react.

"I guess I have to find some way to make you never forget the next few days," Devin tells me as he pulls away. "I owe you a whole summer."

A grin takes over my face. "You can start with giving me a piggy-back," I say.

Devin shrugs as he stops walking. His eyes are twinkling. "I'll give you a piggy-back if you can jump onto me with your short legs."

I stop walking and stare blankly at him. "Fuck you, and I know you're egging me on," I tell Devin but I can't stop smiling. I take a few steps backward and Devin turns around to grin at me.

"Are you really gonna run and then jump? Because I don't think that counts—"

He's cut off by me starting to run. I jump right before I'm going to run into him, but I slam into his back. Devin stumbles but manages not to fall. I grin in a satisfied way as I wrap my arms around his neck. I feel Devin's hands on my legs.

"I fucking owned you," I tell him as he starts walking.

I hear his laugh and the butterflies intensify in my stomach. God, his laugh is one of the best sounds. "You've got a lot of fury for being so little," Devin tells me.

I hit his arm. "Shut up. I'm not that small. I'm average height. You're the one that's too tall," I say.

"I know." He pauses. "I like it though. Our height difference."

I smile as I adjust my grip and start running my fingers along his neck and through his hair. "Why?" I ask.

Devin shifts me slightly. "When you kiss me, you always have to stand on the tips of your toes. It makes you hold me tighter," he explains.

A warm feeling spreads over me. I feel so...I don't know. So loved. It's almost overwhelming, but I want to be overwhelmed. Being loved by Devin feels like the best kind of wave. He's wild but calm. And he's so very addicting. It's like one swim will never be enough and I want to spend the rest of my life in the ocean.

"Can you tell me that again?" I ask.

Devin stops walking and I feel his heart racing under my hand. "Forget it," he mutters.

I let go of his neck and get off his back. Devin's looking at the ground. "Dev," I say. He looks at me. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Don't be embarrassed."

Devin shakes his head. "You know me too well," he says.

I shrug. "Don't be embarrassed," I repeat. I push my hair back behind my ear and a smile creeps onto my face. "You remember when I told you I loved you? And it was rambling and awful and long—"

I'm cut off by Devin kissing me. I smile as I kiss him and his hands tighten on my waist when I stretch up on my toes. I feel Devin's hands on my thigh and I grin as I jump up. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull away with a smile.

"I love our height difference because when you hold me like this, I get to finally look down at you and feel tall," I tell Devin.

"Shut up," he mutters as he kisses my neck.

"But I really love looking down into your eyes," I finish. Devin smiles and his grey eyes sparkle slightly.

"So, I guess our height difference is perfect," Devin says.

"Yeah," I murmur.

And then I'm kissing him.