So, once again, I was a coward, not stepping up for her when she deserved it.
She used to tell me about how she wanted to skate when she got to college. And I wasn’t there for her when all of that changed. When I should have been.
I’ve let her down time and time again. A mistake that won’t be repeated. I’m not the same boy that she once knew. I’m now a man, hopelessly in love with the one girl who despises me.
First things first. I need to apologize to her and hope she doesn’t just punch me in the face. Although, if she does, I probably wouldn’t stop her. Her fiery side has always turned me on.
She used to tease me relentlessly, and, fuck, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fantasize about it happening again. Just the thought of her jabbing her finger in my chest and telling me off has my dick stirring awake.
Her angry glare flashes in my mind, killing the mood instantly. I don’t want her genuinely mad at me. That’s the worst feeling in the world.
I hate that I ever caused her to frown. But I’ll make it up to her one way or another if it’s the last thing I do.
The kids circle around her as she skates and spins, addressing them all before she claps her hands. The Mini Mammoths skate off, and I watch as one of them eats shit, crashing to the ice. I stifle a laugh as he smiles, his face turning bright red. The kid immediately gets up and continues on without so much as a blink. It’s amazing how resilient they are.
When I shift my attention back to the redhead at the center, my blood turns to ice in my veins.
Her dark blue eyes are locked right on mine.
Shit.
Everything around us fades as we look at one another with unbreakable intensity. And it’s like every memory between us crashes into my mind.
The laughs, the longing looks, hugs that I never wanted to end, and moments that will always be special. Dancing in the rain in my backyard. Driving her and my sister to school every day, with her squished between Maeve and me in the bench seatof my pickup. Trailing my hand across her side every time I passed her in the hallway. Memorizing every inch of her and the feel of her skin on mine.
She has no idea that I would drop to my knees and do whatever the hell she wanted. I would be at her beck and call.
I should have never let you go.
In one motion, she rips her stare from me, spins away, and skates off with vigor.
As if she took a piece of me with her, my heart aches in the dark absence of her gaze.
I want to chase after her, catch up to her, and tell her everything. But I also want to respect her space as much as possible. And I have no clue how to do both.
An idea pops into my mind, and my feet are moving before I realize, carrying me out to the parking lot. Leaning back against the hood of her black Jeep Wrangler—the same one she drove in high school—I wait for her to walk out of the double doors.
They push open, and a few kids and parents walk through, but then the crowd parts, and she appears. Pissed off, scowling, and glaring right at me.
She storms across the parking lot, a fake smile flashing as she waves at a few of her students before the grimace returns my way. I expect her to stomp up to me and tell me off. But instead, she does something even worse. She walks right past me, her shoulder brushing my arm as she ignores me altogether.
“Daphne,” I murmur, rounding the side of the Jeep to where she’s standing at the driver’s door, fumbling in her bag for her keys.
She doesn’t say anything as she presses the Unlock button on the key fob. Grabbing the door handle, she tries to throw the door open, but I flatten my hand on it, keeping it sealed in place.
This time,finally, she pays attention. Turning her nose up at me, she crosses her arms, her blue eyes burning into mine.
Her voice is sharp. “What do you want?”
My body catches fire beneath her stare. “To talk to you. Just for a few minutes.”
God, I forgot how short she is compared to me. I know she didn’t shrink, but she seems smaller than before. I guess I probably grew a little, but regardless, I just want to pick her up and take her home and never let her go again.
She taps her foot incessantly on the pavement. “Hmm, let me think.” She pauses for less than a second. “No. But thanks for the offer.”
“Sunset, come on.” Her old nickname slips out without thought, and pain lances through her stare, slicing into my heart. “Please.”
She swallows hard, pulling as far away from me as she can into the door of her Jeep. “Mason, I havenothingto say to you. And frankly, I don’t want to hear anything from you. So please, move your hand because I have somewhere to be.”
