You + Me = Forever

By Lauren Thell

Zach loves horseback riding and swimming in the muddy creek. Val is terrified of horses and instead prefers the comfort of air conditioning and the cleanliness of a chlorinated pool. Yet somehow they've managed to stay best friends for the past eight years. But for Val, "best friends" is no longer enough, and Zach is either completely clueless, or honestly not interested in her that way.

 

A contemporary Christion YA short story romance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lauren Thell
• Release date: Oct 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215094884

Lauren Thell

Lauren Thell is an author of Christian YA fiction full of characters who find themselves on the undersides of impossible situations. She is a professional musician, an amateur dancer, and a wannabe astronaut.

Book preview

Chapter 1

W hy do I always let you talk me into this stuff?

Val paused from nestling a petunia plant into the ground with gloved hands and smiled at the back of the 16-year-old boy shoveling dirt in front of her. One hour of digging in the hot June sun, and he was still moving like a machine despite his complaints, which now came every few minutes or so.

She flipped a wayward curl out of her face. You always ask that. And my answer is always the same. You just love me too much.

Zach grumbled something under his breath about crazy blondes and shoved the spade deep into the soil with one swift motion.

Val turned back to her flowers. Besides, we’re best friends. This is what best friends do.

What, plant flower gardens for each other?

No, goofball. They help each other.

Zach stopped shoveling and wiped his forehead with his sleeve, an act that to Val seemed futile, given that his sweat-soaked T-shirt looked like he’d been rolling in the dirt instead of digging in it. Oh, good. Then after this you can come over to my house and help me shovel horse manure.

Val gave him the evil eye. Not on your life, buddy.

But we’re best friends! He shot her a grin that rose higher on one side and hinted at mischief.

Sometimes Val did things just to see that smile.

She stood and grabbed another flat of annuals. "That’s right. And I made you your favorite cookies yesterday and gave them all to you. So now we’re even."

Zach surveyed the garden plot, all of which had been dug by him. I don’t know if you can call that even. The spade sliced into the soil again, and Val took the opportunity to study him unabashed. Ample time in the summer sun had bleached the ends of his light brown hair, creating wisps of gold that feathered out from under his baseball cap—the kind of highlights that cost tons of money to obtain at a beauty salon. And when had he gotten so muscular? Zach was cute. Val had always known that, but it wasn’t until recently that she started to appreciate it ... 

Twenty minutes later, tender green plants filled the black earth that Zach had overturned. Val looked over the space with her hands on her hips. Perfect. This is a good start for my FFA project.

"Your FFA project?" Zach leaned an arm on his shovel and wiped his face with his hand, leaving a streak