Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Not tonight.
Not after I’d spent two perfect weeks with Luna on my arm and in my bed, filling my head with nothing but blissful hope for a future that looked brighter than any before.
All I had to do was talk to her, and hope to hell she felt the same way.
CHAPTER 15
Luna
I washed my hands before surveying myself in the mirror. Two months ago, I would’ve never been wearing something like this—a themed outfit for a party that was beyond fun. Because all my attempts to have little adventures like this were always shut down.
But not anymore.
Not with Brad.
He hadn’t even hesitated when I showed him the totally cheesy and one-hundred-percent eighties shirt I’d gotten for him to wear tonight. He’d smiled at me, said hell yes, and thrown it on. And he looked damn good wearing it too, adding a pair of almost too tight black pants with it and some neon sneakers. He was so relaxed about everything, so eager to have fun. I never had to worry that he’d say my idea was stupid or that I was reaching when asking for the most basic of things.
And I hadn’t realized how much I’d craved that in my life until we came on this trip. Until Brad showed me that there were people in the world who didn’t overreact to every little inconvenience or even the smallest of requests on my end—like a fun dinner or movie night. Until he showed me that there were people in the world who actually took an interest in what excited me, what brought me joy.
I had no idea how I’d never seen it before, how I’d never allowed myself to feel the chemistry that radiated between me and my best friend, but I was more than determined to not waste another second denying it.
Tonight was our last night here, and I was terrified that everything would change between us on the plane ride home. But I wouldn’t live in fear. I would tell him tonight. Tell him how much these past two weeks had meant to me, how much him allowing me to be me without judgment or reproach had helped me find myself again. Helped me realize that I’d been living in a dark cloud of doubt and pain for way too long. Helped me figure out where my heart had been all along—with him.
Was it fast? Yes. I knew that. And I knew there was a chance he didn’t want a real relationship with me, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from telling him the truth. He deserved to know how crazy in love I was with him, and how amazing he was and had always been to me. He deserved so much more than I had to offer, but I hoped he’d give me a chance to earn his love in return.
Excitement and anticipation fluttered through me, making me feel tingly all over as I pushed through the bathroom doors, determined to find Brad and tell him right then and there. If anything, it would stop the what-if game I kept playing in my head and that would be a relief—
“You blocked my number.”
My blood ran cold with the sound of Dennis’s voice, and I stopped in my tracks as he rounded the corner just outside the lady’s room.
“And my email,” he said, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at me, blocking my way ahead.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I snapped, adrenaline coursing through my veins and making my fingers tremble. “How did you know I was here?” I amended when I realized the fucking odds of him being in Myrtle Beach, at this resort.
“You blocked me,” he said, like that was more than enough of an answer. “How else was I going to get you to listen?”
“How did you find me?” I asked again, my breathing harsh.
“That’s all you have to say to me?” he asked, stepping closer, reaching for me. I jerked away from his touch, and he put his hands up. “I came here for you. I came all this way for you, Luna. I’ve been a wreck without you. I’ve told you that, but you wouldn’t respond, wouldn’t listen. You’re going to listen now.”
“The hell I am,” I snapped, then moved to step around him. He blocked my path, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Move.”
“No,” he said, planting his feet. “You need to listen to me.”
“No, I really fucking don’t,” I said, meeting his eyes. “You cheated on me, not the other way around. And I’m honestly shocked you’re acting like you ever cared about me,” I continued, the floodgates opened. “You constantly put me down. Constantly manipulated me into thinking you were some goddamn hero and that I should be honored that you’d want to be with me.” I rolled my eyes at myself. I’d been such an…