The Beginning of Forever Read online

  “I don’t think that’s weird,” she whispered. Talking became a chore. Her entire body felt as if it were one fire.

  What is he doing to me? Why do I feel this way?

  “Hey, Sophia!” Quincey’s voice broke the spell that Joe had placed upon her, and she quickly turned her head. But it was too late. Quincey had snatched her hand and was dragging her to the door.

  Wait. Where are we going?

  “I told you to dance with her. Not kiss her!” Quincey shouted, his grip on Sophia tightening.

  What’s happening?

  Shocked and embarrassed, she allowed herself to be dragged from the gymnasium and out into the warm night air.

  Joe followed a few steps behind, stalking them like a crazed lion.

  “Where are you taking her?”

  “Home.”

  “She doesn’t want to go home with you.”

  “Yes. She does. Now beat it, Joe. I’ve got to talk to my date.”

  Joe looked to Sophia, waiting.

  But she couldn’t talk. She was frozen. Her mind and body were still focused on him, while around her, the world seemed to tilt on its side.

  When did I get outside? Where did Quincey come from?

  Joe blew out a frustrated breath and backed off, standing by the gymnasium door, his eyes on them.

  “We’ve got to go,” Quincey hissed.

  “What? Why?”

  “Mom texted me. She’s picking me up early. You’ve got to head home now.”

  Though Quincey lived only two blocks away, it suddenly seemed like it was too far. It’d been light out when they left. Now it was dark out. Too dark for her liking.

  “Cut through the bushes so that she doesn’t see you.”

  “By myself?”

  “You walked here by yourself.”

  “It was light out then. I’m not walking home in the dark alone.”

  “Well, you can’t—”

  A car honked, and they both looked up to see Quincey’s mother, Beatrice, staring at them. By her surprised look, Sophia knew that she’d been spotted.

  No.

  Sophia's mouth ran dry. “Crap! She saw me.”

  Beatrice's pale face was quickly coloring.

  “Quincey and Sophia, you get in this car right now!”

  Her insides freezing, Sophia took heavy steps toward the old Buick.

  Aunt Beatrice would surely tell her mother, which meant that Sophia would be under even tighter lock and key for who knew how long.

  She swore again.

  The night had started out so wonderfully. She’d been to her first party, and she danced with a boy that gave her shivers from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

  The boy.

  She turned to see Josiah watching her. The sadness was back in his eyes.

  That awful sadness.

  Throwing caution into the wind, she ran back, jumped into his arms, and fused their mouths together.

  His lips were soft; his breath minty. He kissed her with a reverence and a hunger that made her feel as if she were going to explode with sensations at any second.

  She pulled away, and he gently placed her feet back on the ground.

  Her hand went to her belly, the nerves returning.

  “When can I see you again?” he asked.

  She frowned.

  “I don’t know. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  “Then give me your number. I can text you.”

  My mother monitored number? No way.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What about your email address?”

  Mom watches that, too.

  She shook her head.

  “How can I see you again?” he asked desperately. “I want to see you again.”

  “You can’t.”

  Tears filling her eyes, she walked backward to the car. She wanted to look at him for as long as possible. To remember the boy who’d made her heart tremble.

  She saw his lips form silent words, and knew at that moment exactly what he was saying.

  She mouthed the words back to him.

  “Thunder cats are on the move. Thunder cats are loose.”

  She slid into her aunt’s car, avoiding her disapproving gaze.

  The car slowly pulled away from the curb.

  She leaned out of the window, her hair blowing in the wind.

  “Hey, Superman!” she cried. “Come find me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  The last thing she saw was his frowning face as her aunt turned the corner and they made their way home.

  One thought rolled through her mind, making her want to run from the car and straight back into his arms. One thought gave her both hope and sadness. One thought consumed her, drove her, broke her, and built her back up.

  Will I ever see him again?

  Josiah and Sophia will return in Always and Forever, coming in 2017.

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  Did you love The Beginning of Forever? Then you should read The Boyfriend Agreement by Seven Steps!

  When Bella French's dream boy, Jake, asks her to go out with him to make his girlfriend jealous, Bella does the unthinkable... she says yes. The rules are simple. Two weeks, no kissing, and a few white lies.

  The problem is that she can't stop thinking about her fake boyfriend's twin brother, Cole. Can Bella get out of her fake relationship and fall into a real one without exposing her lies, or destroying her friendships?

  Funny, smart, and wonderfully romantic, the Boyfriend Agreement is a tale of one girl's journey to help her friends and find love, all without losing herself.

  Read more at Seven Steps’s site.

  About the Author

  "Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me."

  -Much Ado About Nothing

  William Shakespeare

  I am just an ordinary girl who loves extraordinary stories. By day, I work in the IT field. By night, I write diverse science fiction and contemporary sweet romance.

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  Favorite Author: Ken Follett, Michael Crichton, Brittany Cherry, Sariah Wilson

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  I enjoy watching Disney movies with my husband and daughter, reminiscing, daydreaming, and eating cheese and wine while I'm on the treadmill. I am a PHOENIX PRIME author, meaning that my books are hi
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  Read more at Seven Steps’s site.