Page 58 of No Way Home
MAGNOLIA
RAW RACE DAY FOOTAGE
The camera zoomedin on Bowen, who’d just finished the obstacle, watching me intensely—as if willing me to hang on.
It cut to Charlie. Her hand shot out, gripping Cash’s forearm, her mouth open in shock.
I squeezed my eyes shut, the shame too much to bear. I knew exactly what Charlie was looking at. My stupid tank top had slipped up, only showing an inch or so of my stomach. The perfect amount to frame and highlight my new navel piercing. The one I’d gotten as a silent expression of the love—yes,love—I felt for Bowen. He was never supposed to find out. No one was. But I was so lost in what I was doing that I was completely oblivious. Not that I could’ve done anything about it. My hands were occupied, swinging from rung to rung like Tarzan.
The camera snapped back to Bowen, who was even more riveted by my belly bling than Charlie. The closer I got to him, the bigger his eyes grew.
I hooted as I slapped the red cowbell and flung myself off the last bar. Frozen, Bowen hadn’t moved an inch and had no choice but to catch me. But I didn’t know that at the time. I’dthought he’dwantedto catch me. Of his own free will. Because he was as euphoric as I was.
Like an idiot, I clung to him—arms looped over his shoulders, legs cinched tight around his waist. Heart overflowing at what a kick butt day I was having with my favorite person. Yeah. I was finally being honest with myself. Bowen had become my very favorite person.
There in Bowen’s arms, jubilant that I’d triumphed over the Beater, I couldn’t stop grinning. My smile tried to burst out of my cheeks. I threw my head back and laughed, deciding at that very moment that I was a Spartan Race girlie for life. Maybe we could do this again next summer!
But then I realized that Bowen wasn’t celebrating. He was staring at me, in a way I’d only seen once before—back on our very first date, at Sole Mates. Right before our almost kiss. It was full of awe, wonder, and intense adoration.
My laughter died and my chest tightened so fiercely it was a miracle my ribs didn’t crack open, spilling every ounce of love I’d tried to bury, drowning him in it.
It was true.
I was in love with the wrong Dupree.
And I didn’t care anymore.
I loved Bowen. Not just the noun of love, but the verb too. And I wanted to show him. Didn’t know how I could hold back another second.
So when his head tilted, and he said, “You pierced your belly button? I thought you said you weren’t going to—” every rational cell in my body disintegrated.
I nodded and smiled, so he’d know I wasn’t ashamed. But he was watching me so intensely that I couldn’t meet his eye. “For the race,” I said, heat filling my cheeks as I nibbled my bottom lip. “For you.” Then, I bravely lifted my gaze to his. “Wah-hoo-wah, Bowen,” I whispered as I finally stopped fighting and smashed my lips to his.
Naively, I thought he’d kiss me back. Obviously. Iwouldn’t have done it otherwise. Instead, he dropped me. My feet hit the ground with a thunk, the shock of his rejection making my heart twist so violently it felt like it tore straight down the middle.
He rocked back a step, then another, every muscle going rigid, like his body hadn’t caught up to what just happened. Leaving me fully exposed.
The camera bounced back and forth, catching our expressions like a game of ping-pong.
Holy crap, I remember thinking.What have I done? Of course, he wasn’t going to kiss me back.
The camera caught Cash and Charlie, speechless, eyes wide.
Back to me and Bowen. Panic and shame covered me head to toe as he stared at me, his chest heaving in and out. My hands pressed against my cheeks, wishing I could turn myself invisible. There’s nothing in the entire universe as heartbreaking as admitting you love someone only to have them not love you back. I wanted to run. To pretend I’d never met him or Griff.
But then—and this is the worst part—the camera cut to Griff, with the majority of the Duprees in the background. I hadn’t realized they’d arrived at the Beater yet. The hurt on his face was something I’d never forget. Like he’d just been hollowed out in one clean blow.
Then it was back on Bowen, looking at me like he knew I’d be his undoing, and he was in the process of making peace with being undone.
“Bowen,” Cash warned, off camera.
Bowen didn’t move, didn’t flinch. Maybe he wasn’t going to. Or maybe it was all in my head, my feelings were one hundred percent unrequited, and I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life. I leaned to the left, tempted to get myself the heck out of there and forget the last name Dupree altogether. I lifted my foot to do just that when…
Bowen took a large step toward me, eyes burning with intensity. His hands shot out, cupping my jaw, and he crashed his mouth over mine. The relief was a tidal wave of joy like I’d never felt before, and I melted into him, arms winding around his neck.
I paused the video, staring at the frozen frame—our lips locked, eyes squeezed shut, desperation etched into both of our faces. If you stripped away the sweat, the trail dust, the race headbands, and the workout gear, someone who didn’t know our backstory would’ve thought it was the kind of kiss that comes right on the cusp of happily ever after. Maybe we were best friends, he was heading off to war, and he’d finally confessed his love for me. Or maybe I was welcoming him home. Maybe he’d just proposed and I’d said yes. Whatever they might’ve imagined, there was no mistaking it was a kiss we’d been starving for, and this was the moment we both surrendered.
But there was no happily ever after for us. No way for Bowen and me to walk arm in arm, the sun setting in the distance. It was heaven for a heartbeat—but the next? Hell struck like a fist.
