Page 28 of Wicked Surrender

Please, just please don’t make this worse.“No. This isn’t a joke.” I tucked a long strand of my hair back behind my ear. “I’m serious, Ethan.”

“You want to break up with me?” he whispered as his eyes watered.

Aw, fuck. No. Don’t cry.I wasn’t one of those people who thought men couldn’t cry. I just dreaded his making this any more dramatic than it had to be. I preferred to keep it free of any drama at all, just like our whole relationship was. “Yes.” I nodded, too, in case he needed more proof of what I was saying.

“Youwant to break up withme?” While he wasn’t screeching, he almost sounded hysterical.

We were mostly private over here under the shade of a tree that was finally blooming and leafing out, but I hated the thought of anyone overhearing and watching. Witnesses weren’t welcome.

Dammit. I should’ve had him come over or gone to his house.

Privacy should’ve been a priority with how much attention I’d been getting lately.

A glance around us didn’t show anyone overtly interested, though. Students and faculty walked by like it was any other day.

Whereas Ethan acted like this was the worst day of his life, frowning and still too near tears and utter confusion.

“But why? We’re so good together.”

I winced, wishing again that my expression wasn’t so loud and uncensored.

“You don’t think we’re good together?” he accused. “How can you think that?”

“Because I’m not interested in you like that, Ethan. I’m not interested.”

“What?” he demanded. “That’s impossible. We are very compatible.”

“No. We’re not, not really.”

“I don’t understand. Why, Laura? Why? Because of all that slander and those rumors?”

Thatwaspart of it. I was disappointed that he wouldn’t stand up for me. But I had lost interest before that. If anything, in a perverse way, I had Jason and his teasing to thank for giving me the courage to dump Ethan once and for all.

“You owe me an explanation.”

I sighed. “I’m just not interested. You’re a great guy, and you’ll make someone really happy one day, but you don’t makemehappy.”

“Is this about that one time that you didn’t come?” He furrowed his brow, losing the confusion and switching to anger.

I wassonot taking crap about this from him. “Thatonetime, Ethan? Really?”

He gaped at me as his face turned red. “What the hell? What— Are you trying to say I never made you come? This is about sex?”

I almost laughed as he lowered his voice when he said that word. “No. Yes. It’s just not working for me anymore, Ethan.” Honestly, it never had. I’d only given him a chance because I was interested in having a boyfriend and he was the guy my dad approved of and pushed at me.

“Don’t you dare try to say I never satisfied you.”

“You did. Or you tried.”

He gasped. “Laura, that’s a lie. I made you come.”

“Maybe?” I cringed. “But it’s not about that. I just don’t want?—”

“How can you do this to me! This is bullshit. I made you come a lot. One time, I didn’t wait for you, but that’s not my fault. It’s not my fault you can be so frigid sometimes.”

I pressed my lips together and inhaled through my nose. I was going out of my way to be gentle but firm. I wasn’t speaking meanly. “I’m not frigid.”

“Yeah, you are.” He nodded, latching on to this newfound claim he was sharing for the first time.

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