Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“What’s with the mullet?” I ask Maddox, who just smirks. His hair is shorter on top, shaved on the side, but long in the back.
“It’s the fashion,” Dylan answers for him.
“Mullets are back in style?” I ask, trying not to look over and see Ryleigh.
“Apparently,” Dylan confirms, “I had the same hair style when I was eight, except it was called hockey flow.”
“Who didn’t have that haircut?” Christopher interjects. “I think my third, fourth, and fifth grade picture had that haircut.” We all laugh at him as we start talking about the game last night.
I glance over at her a couple of times, and each time she looks quiet and withdrawn. Each time I silently hope she looks over at me so I can look into her eyes.
I push away from the table that went from the four of us to at least fifteen people all squishing in. “I’ll be back,” I announce, walking with my head down. This is too much for me. Even though I want to be in the same room with her, I can’t do it.
I make my way to the front door, planning to just get an Uber and text Christopher that I left. Someone grabs my arm, and when I look over, I see Romeo. “A word,” he says, and even though I want to rip my arm out of his hand, I just turn to face him, his hand falling off mine.
“You get one minute,” I tell him, standing with my feet apart and my hands by my sides.
“I’m not going to need a minute,” he hisses, looking around to make sure no one else can hear us. “You’re fucking stupid.”
“Is this what you wanted to have a word with me for?” I roll my eyes, not admitting to him I’m fully aware of how fucking stupid I am. Stupid to have fallen in love with her. Stupider to have let her go.
“You should have never messed with her.” He advances a touch, and I see my uncles Matthew and Max waiting and watching in case they have to step in. They aren’t the only ones; my father stands with Tyler. Their eyes are on us, but they’re too far away to hear what we’re saying.
“Fuck you,” I say to him, “I’m never going to regret that.” I shake my head. “I didn’t care back then what you thought, and I don’t care now.” His jaw clenches. “You think this is easy for me?” I ask him. “You think I don’t feel like I’ve lost a piece of me?” I advance. “You know nothing.”
“Really?” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Did you know she was going to give it all up for you?” he says, and I take a step back as if he just punched me in the face. “She was giving up on all her dreams for you.” He points a finger and stabs my shoulder. “For you, she was giving it all up.” He shakes his head, and I’m speechless. “Guess you didn’t know that, did you?”
With that, he turns around and walks away from me, past our fathers and out the back door toward Gabriella and Ryleigh. Toward the woman who is my home.
CHAPTER THIRTY
ryleigh
“Are you ready to get out of here?” Romeo asks when he comes back from the bathroom, his hands balled into fists beside his legs.
“I think so,” Gabriella says, looking at me.
“Are you coming with?” she asks. Even if she hadn’t asked me, I would have left with them anyway. Either that or I would be calling an Uber.
“Lead the way,” I say softly, trying not to look up to search for him. Ever since he walked into the room, my heart has been searching for him. I forced my eyes to focus on what was in front of me and nothing more. Even when we sat down to eat, all I could do was tell myself that I was fine. That it was fine. That him being here didn’t matter to me, but I was lying to myself, just like I have been for the past month. I didn’t eat a thing. Instead, I pushed shit around my plate and counted down the time until I could get the fuck out of here and away from him.
I tuck my hair behind my ear, looking down as I start to walk out of the room when I hear whispering. My eyes move up to see what everyone is whispering about when I see him coming for me. I stop breathing, literally holding my breath as he gets closer and closer, his eyes fixated on me.
I want to run away from him, but my feet feel like they’re stuck to the floor, and my body feels like it’s turned to marble. The blood in my body halts, making everything in me freeze. He stops in front of me, our fingers grazing each other, before he turns his hand around to grab mine. Anger shoots through me. Why can’t he just let me fucking be? He leans down, and I silently gasp as his lips go to my ear. “I know I never told you this.” His breath and softness of his voice sends shivers down my spine. My heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. “But you deserve to have this, to know.” I don’t move a muscle as he tells me, “I love you.” The three words I’ve said to him every single night in my dreams when he comes to hug me. The three words I’ve yearned to hear from him. The three words that shatter my heart. Then he kisses me right behind my ear where he used to always kiss me.