Page 18 of Don't Leave
Unable to keep the words locked inside, I blurt, “I know you dated Cole.”
Her eyes widen in the bright moonlight that filters down on us. “Yeah, I did.” Glancing away, she shifts. “You know who I am?”
Is it my imagination or is there a hopeful note tinging her voice? “Sammy mentioned you.”
“Oh.” Her lips wilt at the corners. “You’re friends with Sammy?”
“We play hockey together.”
One brow rises as her gaze slides over me. “Sammy’s kind of a bruiser. You don’t look like the hockey-playing type.”
My spine automatically stiffens. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She huffs out a breath before shaking her head. “It didn’t mean anything. Sorry.”
My eyes narrow, uncertain if I should take the apology at face value. And I’m not even going to examine why it makes me feel a little better to know that she and Sammy weren’t BFF’s.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yeah. You seem so small.” Her expression turns to one of bemusement. “I’ll just bet he loves that you play.”
Instead of responding to that comment, I remain silent. I don’t want her knowing anything about our relationship. Only now do I wonder if coming out here with Cole’s ex wasn’t such a great idea after all. I get the feeling that Jackie is sizing me up, trying to figure out if I’m competition. When she makes another slow sweep of my body, I know I’m right.
“Why did you drag me out here?” I’m itching to get back inside and away from her. Not only that, I want to find Cole so we can take off. I don’t want him anywhere near this girl who once upon a time meant something to him.
For a long stretch of moments, she remains silent before saying, “Maybe I wanted you to know that I still love him.” There’s a pause. “And I want him back.”
Even though her words pierce my heart like a knife, they don’t surprise me.
CHAPTER 6
CASSIDY
What I know about Jackie and Cole is that they were best friends growing up before deciding to deepen their relationship. They dated in high school and were still together when they left for college last fall. Sometime during the course of their freshman year, they broke up.
From the little Cole and Sammy have mentioned, I have my suspicions as to what might have happened.
Needing confirmation, I ask, “If you’d loved him so much, why did you cheat?”
If my blunt question surprises her, it doesn’t show on her expression. Her gaze shifts to the surrounding darkness as a cold wind whips through the trees. I tighten my arms around myself as the leafless branches above us shake.
Just when I begin to wonder if she’ll give me an answer, she draws in a breath before steadily forcing it out again until she looks like she’s deflating before my eyes. Whatever thoughts are swirling around in her head must weigh heavily because her entire body slumps as if it might fold in on itself.
“I experienced all my firsts with Cole.” The smile she gives me is sad around the edges. “First dance. First kiss. First date. First boyfriend.”
I steel myself, knowing what will come next.
“He’s the first guy I slept with.” She sucks in a deep gulp of oxygen. “And my first love.”
I force out a breath as this information settles over me.
“And I did love him.” Her gaze flickers away before cutting back to mine. “I didn’t think attending different colleges would be a big deal for us. We’d known each other for practically our entire lives, and he’d always been my best friend. We talked it all out before I packed up and left. He’d visit me once a month and I’d come home when I could. By that point, Cole and I had been together for two years and we knew that, at some point, we’d get married. I wanted to experience life before we took that next step.”
To hear her speak about the future she and Cole had mapped out together has my insides twisting into a painful knot. A year or two ago, he’d wanted to marry this girl.
“If he meant so much to you, why’d you throw away your future with him?” I don’t realize the words have shot from my mouth until it’s too late.
Her body stiffens as she holds my hard gaze for a tense moment before tilting her head back and staring into the bright, star-littered sky.
