“Nothing for now. My temper is what put you on the road that night when I almost lost you and Anamae. I don’t ever want to have that on my conscious again, so I’m just going to see what happens for now. You know, it’s too bad that Anamae doesn’t know any of this. She still carries around guilty feelings about the accident.”

“She does know. All of it,” I said.

Victor laughed. “You two really do share everything, don’t you?”

“Just like we do,” I said.

“Just like we used to do,” Victor corrected. We continued dancing as one song blended into the next. “I remember it all, Leath. I know we dated before, and it was different from the way it was in this reality. I remember our first kiss. Our real first kiss.”

“We weren’t dating each other when that happened. You were dating Anamae,” I said.

“And you were dating James. Both of us dating the wrong person.”

I remembered sitting with Victor on his front porch swing that night. We’d come together so naturally. No hesitation, no questions, just a need to strengthen a connection we already shared. Later, I’d lied to Anamae, telling her that kissing Victor had felt wrong. But I’d said that out of fear.

I was afraid I’d lose my best friend because I’d just kissed her boyfriend. I was afraid I’d lose James because I had betrayed him. But most of all, I was afraid that somewhere deep inside me, I did love Victor in that way. So it had been easier to just pretend the whole thing had been one giant mistake rather than coming to terms with my true feelings for him.

18

Decisions

“Mind if I cut in?” Knox asked.

I couldn’t remember anyone else using such an outdated phrase, but Knox easily pulled it off.

Victor stepped back and nodded. He wasn’t standing alone long. Anamae caught his hand as soon as it left my own. She hugged Victor tightly, then danced with him like the old friends they were.

“I don’t know if I should slap you or hug you,” I said to Knox, thankful for the distraction from my thoughts about Victor.

“Well, if I get to choose…” Knox teased.

“That’s the thing, you don’t. So stay tuned.”

Knox laughed. “I didn’t set out to tell Victor about Judaculla, but I didn’t know what to say when he saw the J on the key ring. Especially since he’d already seen yours.”

“I get it,” I said. “But do me one favor?”

“Anything,” Knox said.

“I don’t think I can ask you to back off from Anamae, because even if you wanted to, I think she’s already falling in love with you. Which, by the way, better not be because of your Judaculla charms.”