Page 57 of Leah

“Um, I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“Because… I’m freaked out by this.”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’sthis?”

I motioned in his general direction. “You. I don’t know if it’s wise to come back and see you again.”

His beautiful eyes narrowed in thought. “Have I scared you away with what I said?”

I hesitated. No point beating around the bush, or pretending I was Miss Confidence that had moved on. Honesty was the noble route.

“Yes,” I answered quietly.

With a frown, he scratched at his jaw, and I noticed the stubble there. I felt a tingle in the palm of my hand that was begging to touch it too. To run my hand over his cheek, to make him peer into my eyes.

What I loved about Carter was that he didn’t look like your average rocker. Not in his mundane clothes, anyway. He really was simple, like me.

“It was the truth,” he told me, quietly. “What I said to you last night wasn’t something that I just blurted out. I’m not doing it to get something out of you, either, Leah. I don’t take it back. But try not to overthink it.”

“How do I do that?”

“By living in the now. Stop listening to your head.” His hand shot up, and he lightly brushed my chin with his finger. “I’d be happy if you came back, and I think you would be too.”

My breath escaped my lungs as I took in the solemn look in his eye and nodded. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” I forced out, pulling away from his touch quickly. He blurred my senses when he touched me, and I needed the distance.

He stepped back and watched as I started the car, horrendously pulling out into the street. I saw him smile in the rear-view mirror at my driving skills.

Sticking my hand out the window, I shot him the middle finger. I watched him laugh as I took off down the street. When he was out of sight, I pulled over several streets later and had amini freak-out. I felt like my heart had been punched out of my body. At the same time, my body zinged with adrenaline.

What are you doing, Leah?

One minute he was gone, and the next he was in my life like he’d never been away from it.

Sixteen

Leah

Melanie:Don’t go back. He hurt you. He might hurt you again.

I stared at her text a dozen times during my lunch break in the backroom of the store. I’d told her all about what happened when I got to the condo this morning, and she was none too pleased about it. Since then, she’d been sending me messages, warding me away from Carter, and I was doing my best to listen.

Honestly, I was.

Reflecting back on last night, I was happy I stopped the kiss when I did. It could have ended differently, and I might have been face palming in shame right now if it had.

Another text from Melanie.

Melanie:Be strong.

I sighed.

I was trying to be strong.

I was wary, scarred, frightened and…fucking excited all at once. It was confusing. I felt like the past was merged with the present, and I couldn’t find my safe place.

Now that he was here, now that I had seen him, the space we’d let grow between us was gone. I sort of let that happen, too.

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