Page 110 of Before We're More Than Friends
My lungs burned with my heavy breathing. “I-I don’t know how to put it into words. You have every reason not to trust me right now, but I promise I mean every word I say. There are nogaps.” And the gap between us still wasn’t that far apart. I could feel her breath mingle with mine.
“How do I know you’re not just saying that?” Raina asked, her voice shaking. She rolled up her sleeve to showcase her bracelet. “I’ve spent years showing you the parts of my heart I’ve never shown to anyone else—both as Raina and Chloe—but all you did was break it.”
I rolled up my sleeve to reveal my bracelet again, and I pressed my wrist against hers. “Part of our hearts are only meant for each other to see. And I want that.” My knees wobbled like I could pass out any minute, my pulse pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything else around me. “I want us.”
“I want to believe you,” she whispered, closing the distance between us. “But I don’t know if I can.”
“I know.” I looked deep into her eyes, where the ice started to thaw. And in the worst impulse possible, I found myself leaning toward her, slowly closing my eyes until our lips were inches away from?—
“What the hell are you doing?” Raina shouted, jumping backward. “Dallas!”
I cursed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was?—”
“I think we’ve said enough.” Anger crossed her features as she spun on her heel.
My chest heaved from how fast I breathed. “Raina, I’m sorry I did that, really?—”
She faced me one more time. “Stop talking to me. Please.” She whipped her head of bronze waves around and disappeared into the moonlight, leaving my heart shattered on the ground behind her. And it was what I deserved.
I put my head on my hands and sat on the ground, not caring about how dirty it was. The tears that had been building behind my eyes fell onto my flushed cheeks, and once they started flowing, they wouldn’t stop.
Who cared what Hayden, Kami, or Toby thought of my stupid confession? I wasn’t proud of myself. Ihatedmyself. There could be a million things I could do right after this, but it didn’t matter to me anymore.
Because it didn’t erase the fact that I’d screwed everything up just to hide the inevitable.
CHAPTER 26
Raina
Every head turned toward me as I stormed back to my chair, mascara-stained tears streaming down my face, to grab my purse. I should’ve known better than to wear stupid makeup. I probably looked like a clown drowned in a hurricane.
Sienna, eyes wide with worry, was the first one to speak. “What happened?”
“Someone needs to give Arielle a ride,” I said as I searched my wallet for my driver’s license. My smiling face with perfect makeup appeared in the back pouch. Perfect. “I’m driving home.”
Arielle shot up. “But you haven’t driven in months! And you hate driving in the dark.”
“Well, I’m going to.” It took the little strength I had in me to keep my voice from shaking.
“I’m really sorry,” Hayden said, standing from his seat as well. “I didn’t want this to happen?—”
“It was going to one way or another.”
Sienna blinked. “I’m sorry, but I’m hella lost. What haven’t you been telling me?”
“It’s not my place to ask,” Caleb said. “But I’m lost, too.”
“Did Dallas do something?” Oliver asked, concern in his eyes. “Do I need to talk to him?”
“Any of you can talk to him.” I strapped my purse over my shoulder. “I don’t care who knows now. It’s done.”
Hurt covered Sienna’s features. “Why didn’t I know?”
I couldn’t stop myself from snapping. “No one was supposed to know!”Even I wasn’t.
“Don’t take it personally,” Arielle said softly to Sienna, whose face fell. “It’s a messy situation.”
Messy? More like a freaking dumpster fire.
