Page 9 of The Biggest Secret
Fuck. It’s been two years since I’ve heard from her and I’m still a pussy crying over the girl who doesn’t want me, who ran out on mewithout a word. Chelsea was afraid to fall in love. Afraid to let go completely because she was afraid I wouldn’t fall with her.
I don’t think she truly understood that I was already at the bottom waiting to catch her since the first day I laid eyes on her.
The whistle blows and the game begins. Tom and Farrah make their way to us, and my parents follow behind them. It’s just like old times, when we’d all get seats at the 50-yard line to watch Jackson play in the NFL. Those were good times, exciting. Even when it got bad for him, we still had each other. And we still showed up for each other.
The quarter ends, and we’re ahead by two touchdowns. The team is pumped and so are the fans. The stands are packed, the stadium lights have lit up the field, and signs and flags are waving for our hometown Comets.
“I'm going to go grab some sodas. Who wants something?” Getting everyone’s orders, I begin to make my way through the packed stands. Britt gives me another flip of the bird. She hates when Grace comes around. Those two have beef that stems back from high school, and she’s hated her since. I try to keep them apart as much as possible but tonight was unavoidable.
I’m in the aisle when I begin my descent and try to get around the woman coming up towards me. She’s looking down but her auburn hair with highlights catches my eye. Stadium lights make her hand on the railing glow, accentuating a gold ring with a love knot and it makes my breath catch. I stop just as she looks up, and our eyes meet.
Hazel eyes that I’ve been lost in, with long dark lashes that frame them. The perfect pink lips that have kissed every spot on my body.
The ring I gave her right before college graduation.
“Chelsea Jo.”
She doesn’t look shocked to see me. In fact, it looks like she knew exactly where I would be tonight. Like she came to find me. I, on the other hand, was the dick that never went looking. Not because I was afraid to find her but because I was afraid of what she’d say if I did find her. I’d rather be mad and miserable with thepossibilityof her return then to know for sure she didn’t want me and was never coming back.
“Adam, hi.” She looks around. We’re standing in the middle of theaisle, with the entire town surrounding us. I feel like I’m standing in one of those Macy’s window displays on 5thAvenue.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wincing at the needy tone spilling from my lips.
She begins to speak but the crowd erupts into a roar. The cheerleaders are chanting and the horn blows again, making me jump and miss whatever she’s just said. My eyes dart around her face, taking her in, not believing she’s standing right in front of me.I linger on her frame, taking in every inch of her, the smooth column of her throat, the tender spot on her shoulder that always gave her goosebumps when I laid my lips there. My heart races as my body immediately recalls how she felt under me.
And how much I’ve missed her being there.
I feel an arm come around my waist and then Chelsea’s eyes go rounder then narrow. I know it’s because she’s gotten a look at who has just tried to stake their claim on me.I don’t like it. Grace has never been possessive and the fact she’s trying it now only confuses me more about what’s happening.
“Bro! You’re holding up the line, man! Some of us are dying of thirst up here.” Billy pushes past me “CJ! Girl, you look hot! Come on, lets grab some drinks.” Billy throws an arm around her directing her down the stands and I have no choice but to follow. He’s so nonchalant about seeing her, but then again, my brother is a professional bullshit artist, so I’ll be sure to thank him later for diffusing the situation.
Grace tries grabbing my hand as we walk down, but I flex my fingers then stuff them in my pocket.
Yes, I’m a dick. We’ve established this. But I feel like I’ve just seen a ghost. I have no idea how to navigate what is happening right now.
We get to the bottom and head to the concession stand where it’s slightly quieter. Apart from my own heartbeat drowning out voices around me, I can make out Billy and Chelsea talking together now.
“I just came back a few days ago,” she says as Billy’s eyes flicker to me then land back on her. “My sister is here, too. We’re going to look for an apartment together.”
“Ahh, Adley,” he smiles and Chelsea’s lips twist to the side. “Adleywith that ass!” My stupid brother bites his fist and groans. Chelsea slaps his chest.
I want her to touch me. Slap me. Anything.
“Don’t let her catch you talking about her like that,” Chelsea laughs.
“Oh, please. She loved the attention I used to give her.” He turns now to the girl in the concession stand and orders our sodas.
“Mmhmm,” is all she responds with. Then she turns to me, and I’m knocked on my ass again. I can’t form words. She’s still so beautiful. “Adam, it’s good to see you,” she says tentatively. Her eyes flick to Grace who is standing like a guard dog next to me. “Grace, how have you been?”
She’s being cordial but her tone is anything but.
Grace responds by sliding her arm around my waist and pushing her tits against my arm. “Great, actually,” she purrs. I give her a sideways glance, stepping away from her touch, befuddled by the feeling that I’m stuck in a love triangle. Which is fucking weird and so out of sync for how life has actually been these last few years.
There’s no triangle. Chelsea and I are more of a circle. A never-ending circle ofshould weorshouldn’t we. A merry go round we could never jump from.
Absolutely not a triangle. There’s only been one girl I’ve ever dreamed about.
But she left me without a word.
