Page 48 of Kismet

Not that I think Stone would do that. I just… I feel like I can see a future with him. It sounds so fucking dumb since he’s married and my professor, but the chemistry is too strong. Too good. I want him in absolutely every way I can have him.

I’m at my friend’s house—a bunch of us are heading to graduation together soon. Out of our big group, a handful of us are graduating, while the rest will be seniors this year. Branson, Knox, Weston, Katie, and I are the graduates. I’m still mind blown that the time is here.

“Hey, guys, are we ready?” Katie asks. She’s the mother hen of our group. How she puts up with all of us is beyond me. She and Knox met a few years ago—I think our sophomore year, maybe—and became fast best friends. Their friendship spread through everyone, and she’s slowly become all our friends.

I’m not as close to everyone as the others, but these are still my people. I’ve known all of them, besides Katie, since we were kids.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Knox responds, his arm around his boyfriend, Aston.

As we head out of the house, I pull out my phone, sending a quick text to Stone. We haven’t talked at all today, but I just want to let him know I’m thinking of him. He’s one of the faculty speakers tonight.

Me: Almost show time. See you soon, teach. ;)

I pocket my phone as we all cram into our cars. I’m riding with Knox, Aston, and Weston. Since Stone is driving us to dinner, I won’t need my car later.

“So, when do you guys leave for Georgia?” Everyone, except me, is going to Georgia for a few weeks. Katie is from there, and she heads home every summer. The gang is going to visit her. I can’t go because I have to move into my new place and get everything ready for the fall.This summer is also an opportunity to spend time with Stone, and there’s no way I’d give that up. And I couldn’t exactly bring him along.

Knox glances at me before replying. “Aston and I leave in a few days, and Weston leaves a day or two after that. Branson and Luca are renting an RV and roadtripping there. I don’t have a single fucking clue why.”

“You should just come, man,” Weston says, messing around on his phone.

“I fucking wish, bro. This summer is going to be busy as hell for me. When do you move?”

Weston is moving to Miami to work with his brother, Kingston. I have no idea what type of work he’ll be doing, other than it’s corporate and pays a shit ton of money. He’s the first of our group moving away. Out of all the guys, I’m closest with him, so it sucks.

“Not until August.”

We arrive at the event center, pile out, and make our way inside. The rest of the afternoon flies by in a blur of chaos. Things starting out well but slowly getting worse and worse. My speech went extremely well and was well received by the masses. But I’m a nasty storm of nerves right now. I still haven’t heard from Stone at all, and he wasn’t at graduation, despite him being one of the scheduled speakers. When I asked the dean if he knew what was going on, he said there was a situation, and that Stone wouldn’t be there.

A situation?! What the fuck does that mean?!

I’ve called him close to thirty times with no answer. I had to bum a ride back to the guys’ house to grab my car after the ceremony, since Stone was supposed to be my ride. Graduation has been over for a few hours now, and the cement weighing down my stomach isn’t clearing up. Something is wrong. I can fucking feel it.

I drove by his house, and it doesn’t look like anyone is home. Why isn’t he fucking answering? My heart is pounding so fucking loud in my ears and my hands are shaking as I drive to the fields.

Maybe he’s there.

Maybe it’s one big misunderstanding.

Or maybe he decided to stay with his wife, and he just didn’t know how to tell me.

Maybe he’s sick of me. My purpose ran its course with him. He had his mid-life crisis, cheated on his wife, and now wants to be with her again.

Fuck!

Please don’t be that. Please don’t fucking be that.

Please, Stone… please be at the fields and have a good excuse for today.Please.

It’s pitch black by the time I park. The moon isn’t shining, and the stars aren’t as bright as they normally are. It’s like the universe can feel the shift. Can feel how wrong this is.

He isn’t here. Nobody is here. It’s empty and dead.

He isn’t fucking here.

I’ll wait here. He could show up. Maybe he knows I’m here, and he’s going to meet me. Yeah… I’ll wait.

Turning my car off, I look up at the night sky. He’ll meet me here, I know it. He wouldn’t stay with her… why would he?

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