Until I see him.
Luke.
Staring at Kass. Fine, drooling over Kass. Guess I’m not the only one who noticed that dress. Greg, Luke’s dumbass friend, tells him something I know is about her. I can’t hear squat, but I’d bet a hundred bucks it runs along the lines of “Are you going to hit that?” and Luke flashes a cocky smile.
Then he’s making his way over to her.
He taps her shoulder.
She turns around.
Smiles at him.
It’s just to be polite, but still.
I can’t do anything. And since I’m the designated driver tonight, I can’t even get blackout. All I can do is stand there like a brain-dead fucking moron while the school’s quarterback flirts with my girlfriend.
Fifteen minutes in, I decide I can’t take any more of this hell. I tell Kendrick I’m going to get some air before storming off. Too bad he can’t get his tongue out of the ginger’s mouth long enough to reply.
I grab a beer in a cooler on my way to the backyard.
Fuck it.
I step onto the perfectly mowed lawn, wandering around and finding a quiet spot to drown my sorrows. I must chug my beer in less than five minutes.
She’s in there.
With him.
And I’m here.
Drinking the truth away. The truth being that she’d be better off with someone like him. Someone who wouldn’t hide her.
Rage spurts inside my stomach, and I lose it, chucking my empty beer against the brick house. It smashes, but the impact isn’t nearly as satisfying as I’d hoped, the noise drowned out by the booming pop music inside.
“Feel better?”
I jump, spinning to find Kass staring at me, worry plaguing her clear eyes. How long has she been standing there?
“Not even a little,” I say hoarsely.
She threads forward hesitantly.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
She has?
“Why?” I sneer.
“I-I was hoping we could talk about… earlier.”
“What? Sick of Luke already?” I snap.
She’s caught off guard.
“Look, if you’re going to be like this, I’m just going to go.”
Shit.
She hasn’t even taken a step before I’m striding across the lawn, leaping into her way and crashing my lips to her. She yelps in surprise, staggering backward and granting me a short, fleeting moment of peace. Our lips chase each other. Hungry. Avid. And I couldn’t give less of a fuck that someone could find our lonely spot and see us at any moment.
I grip her waist with both hands, easing her against the old shed sitting in the backyard. I suck her bottom lip between my teeth, and she moans into my mouth, flattening her tits against my chest. We claw at each other’s clothes, faces, necks, making out until my dick strains against my zipper.
“I love you. Is that what you want me to say?” I rasp in between kisses. “Because I’ll say it a hundred fucking times if I have to. I love you, Kass. I love you. I love you. I need you. Isn’t that enough?”
Hurt flashes in her gaze. She knows that’s my way of asking her to look past this Kendrick thing.
“Will,” she whimpers, but I don’t want to hear the rest. I’d rather go deaf than hear what she says next.
She’s going to leave me.
I know it.
I feel it.
“Remember that favor you owed me?” I croak.
She blinks at me, perplexed.
“That time forever ago when you asked me to crash your date with that rapist dude Simon? I said you’d owe me a favor.”
She nods.
My eyes burn with unwelcomed emotions. Shit, am I… tearing up? What the hell has this girl done to me?
“Well, this is it. Right here. I’m calling it in.” I cup her face, choking on my plea. “I need you to fucking stay.”
My request sends gallons of tears pouring down her cheeks. They fall hard and fast, yielding me a sliver of hope. This could either be a good sign… or the worst sign in the world. I hold my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Finally, she answers my first question with a sob. “No, it’s not enough.”
There’s the other shoe.
It feels like my goddamn heart is trying to claw its way out of my rib cage. Trying to run. To escape before it comes.
The end.
“You were right. Maybe we shouldn’t tell him. Maybe…” She sniffles. “Maybe there should be nothing to tell.”
“What? No. Fuck no. Don’t say that.” I clench my teeth together to keep the pain at bay.
She wipes her face. “I don’t want a secret relationship. I’ve been there before, and I promised myself I’d never let it happen again, and I…” Sniffle. “I can’t be your secret, Will. No matter how much I love you, I can’t do this to myself. I’m sorry.”
“What are you saying?” My voice gets stuck in my throat.
“I’m saying…” She’s shaking, her body howling with sobs. “I’m saying it’s over.”
Then she takes her heart and walks away.
Just like that.
I watch her give up on me.
And take it all in. Every scenario, every bit of what my life is going to look like without her. I picture us never speaking again. Imagine things going back to the way they were. Before. Back when she was nothing but my best friend’s controlling sister. Then I realize I don’t have a choice.
And if I do have a choice…
I choose her.
“Go get him,” I command.
She stops cold, gaping at me over her shoulder.
“W-What?”
I make my way over to her.
“Go get your brother. We’re telling him. Now.”
She’s shocked, keeping quiet for an excruciating while.
“R-Really?” She cries harder.
I nod.
“I don’t care what I have to do. I’m not losing you.”
I’ve never, in the many years I’ve known her, seen her look this happy. She flings her arms around my neck, planting a salty, tear-soaked kiss on my lips. I pull her into me, relishing in every second. Usually, she’d take my breath away, but right now… her kiss feels like CPR. It lets me breathe again. Fills my lungs with missing air.
“God, I love you,” she cries.
“I love you, control freak,” I say, and she laughs through the tears.
“Are we really doing this? I mean… are you sure?”
“As sure as I’ll ever be.”
“Okay, I’ll go get him.” She squeals and pecks my mouth. “Stay here.”
She takes off running toward the house. The moment it engulfs her, I feel relieved.
Free.
I haven’t even told Kendrick yet, but knowing this will all be over soon is the equivalent of getting out of jail—except I chose to step inside the cell. And I was holding the key this whole time.
Fifteen minutes go by.
Not that I’m surprised. Might take her a while to find Kendrick in there. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s somewhere upstairs getting someone pregnant. My phone chimes with a text from Kass.
Control freak: Found him. On our way now.
Just as I’m typing a reply, a laugh flares behind me.