Book Extract: Wait For You by Lianne La Borde

April went quiet, resting her head on my shoulder as we leant on the bridge, breathing in a concoction of exhaust fumes and sea air.

‘I wanted to call you, Dylan,’ she sighed, staring down into the choppy, dark water. ‘More than anything. But I just… couldn’t.’

‘OK, well that question has been killing me for three years, so please, put me out of my misery.’

April looked at me sideways, her face darkening further.

‘Will you kiss me again, before I answer?’ she asked, moving closer and tucking herself close to my chest. ‘So you remember how it feels first? Because there’s something I need to tell you, and it won’t be easy to hear.’

Her words landed in my stomach like the stench of the sea lions on the pier, and I worried I’d throw up over the side of the bridge. What could she possibly be hiding that was this bad?

It’s three years of silence bad, I reminded myself. So terrible Coma April had chosen to keep it from me still.

Pushing those thoughts away, I did as she asked, stroking her cheek with my thumb and leaning forwards until our mouths were almost touching.

‘I’ve never forgotten how it feels to kiss you, April.’

My lips were just grazing hers when a squeal of brakes tore through the air. The screeching of rubber on tarmac followed, and my head flew in the direction of the noise in time to spot the pickup truck crashing through the barrier, mounting the pavement and barrelling towards us. On instinct, I shoved April as hard as I could back towards the side of the bridge. Our eyes met over the deafening roar, and hers flashed with horror as this immense force crashed into me. Then everything shrunk to nothingness.