Page 3 of November's Bad Boy: Kacen
I push off the bar and force myself toward her. The least I can do is say hello, pretend like I’m not a coward.
She’s alone now, adjusting a tray of cookies shaped like pumpkins.
“Natalie.”
She doesn’t turn. “Didn’t realize Ruby sent out invites to ghosts.”
Her voice is smooth, steady. It hits harder than I expected.
“I’m not a ghost,” I say quietly. “But I get why you’d think so.”
She finally looks at me. Her eyes are the same—green with gold flecks, sharp as glass. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Ruby insisted.”
“She always does.” She crosses her arms. “You planning on staying long?”
“Not really.”
“Good. Then we’ll both survive it.”
She turns back to the cookies. Conversation over.
I should walk away. But my feet won’t move.
“You look good,” I say before I can stop myself.
She freezes for half a second. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t pretend we’re old friends catching up.” Her eyes flash when she meets mine again. “You made your feelings clear a long time ago.”
I swallow. “People change.”
“Do they?” she asks softly. “Because you still sound like the same boy who laughed when I cried.”
It hits like a punch. I want to tell her I didn’t mean it. That I hated myself because of it. That I’ve replayed that moment more times than I can count. But she’s already walking away, her head high, her heels clicking on the floor.
Leaving me feeling like I’m that hurting teenager all over again and not the man I’ve worked so hard to become.
Ruby appears at my side like she’s been waiting. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“You spoke to her, didn’t you?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“She hates me.”
Ruby just smiles, unsurprised by my answer. “Give it time, dear. Hate is the first step toward something else.”
Before I can respond, a commotion near the door cuts through the music. Someone’s yelling.
“Is that—” Ruby starts.
