“Fuck.” Ben closed his eyes for a second before opening them again to stare intensely into mine. Tears welled in my eyes. He bent toward me and I flinched away. “Goddammit. Stay. Please, stay. This isn’t over. We have a lot to talk about. Please don’t leave.”
I shook my head and whispered, “I can’t.”
“Ben!” someone barked. “Get your fucking ass out there on that fucking stage!Now!”
Ben closed his eyes again, then let go of my shoulders and walked backwards away from me.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched him go.
He lifted his microphone to his mouth. “I’m back, motherfuckers!”
I had to look away. That wasn’t my Ben.
That had never been my Ben.
The stage jolted slightly. I turned to watch two guys attach the floating pier walkway to the stage again. Once they stepped onto the stage, I took off. Roscoe yelled something behind me.
I stepped onto the floating pier, and tripped. Something bunched around my foot.
The stupid scarf Ben had given me.
My lip curled in disgust as I remembered how thrilled I’d been he’d wrapped it around my hair. It’d felt like the beginning of us.
Kinda fitting that I kicked it free at the end of us.
I left it on the pier—a twist of fabric and broken dreams—before I ran the rest of the way across.
I pushed past a few security guards and ran down the fixed pier to the beach and the parking lot beyond. Stopping on the curb, I watched people stream around me in groups, talking and laughing as they headed for their cars and their happy homes.
Neither of which I had.
And at this time of night, it was going to be impossible to get a rideshare I could afford.
I was debating my options when I heard a man shout my name.
“Emma? Emma!”
I turned with dread pooling in my stomach. I so didn’t want another confrontation. But instead of Ben or Roscoe, I found Hunter from the diner and his wife standing there, staring at me in confusion.
“Hey! It is you!” Hunter grinned at me then shook his head. “I thought you gave us your tickets.”
I relaxed at the friendly faces. “I did. But then Gwen and James got together and gave me a VIP pass.”
“Oh wow,” Livy, Hunter’s wife, gasped. “I bet you had an amazing day.”
“You could say that.” I tried to wipe surreptitiously at my wet face.
Livy tilted her head. “Do you need a ride?”
“That would be great. Thanks so much.”
She smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”
Hunter grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him and then pressed a kiss against her temple. She melted into his side.
It was all so hard to watch. I wanted what they had.
But apparently that wasn’t meant to be.
