I take a deep breath, forcing myself to meet her eyes. "I was supposed to perform too. I'd signed up weeks in advance to sing a song I'd written." I swallow hard. "A song about you."
Her eyes widen, but I press on before I lose my nerve. "But as the day got closer, I panicked. I was terrified you'd figure it out, that everyone would realize I had feelings for my little sister'sbest friend. So I did the only thing I could think of – I created a distraction."
"The concert in the gym," Darcy says softly, realization dawning on her face.
I nod, shame washing over me. "I never meant to hurt you, Darcy. I was just... scared. Scared of my feelings, scared of rejection. So I pushed you away instead."
A heavy silence falls between us. Darcy's expression is unreadable as she processes this information.
Finally, she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
I sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Because I was a coward. It was easier to be the jerk you thought I was than to admit the truth." I look at her, years of regret evident in my voice. "I'm so sorry, Darcy. I know it doesn't change anything, but I need you to know that I never thought I was too good for you. If anything, I thought I wasn't good enough."
A heavy silence falls between us. I can almost see the wheels turning in Darcy's head as she processes everything I've just told her. Around us, the soft murmur of other patrons' conversations seem oddly distant.
Finally, she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "We were just kids," she says softly, shaking her head. "God, we were so young and stupid."
I nod, feeling a mix of relief and lingering regret. "Yeah, we were. Kids who didn't know how to handle big feelings."
"Or how to communicate," Darcy adds with a wry smile.
"Definitely not that," I agree, chuckling despite myself.
Darcy's expression turns serious. She takes a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "You know, I've been holding onto this anger for so long. But hearing this... it changes things."
"I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you," I say. "I should have been honest years ago."
She shrugs. "Maybe. But I probably wouldn't have been ready to hear it then." She pauses, seeming to consider something. "You know, maybe it's time we both let go of the past."
I feel a glimmer of hope. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Darcy says, taking a deep breath, "maybe we can start over. Clean slate. No more dwelling on who we were as teenagers or what we did or didn't do."
"I'd like that," I say, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. I extend my hand, only half-joking. "Hi, I'm Cody Banks. Nice to meet you."
Darcy laughs, the sound warming something inside me. She takes my hand, shaking it firmly. "Darcy Gray. Pleasure's all mine."
As our hands linger after our "reintroduction", I feel the possibility of something new beginning. But there's still a question in Darcy's eyes, something unspoken.
"Cody," she starts, her voice uncertain. "There's something else I need to say..."
Darcy screws her eyes shut, face twisted up in discomfort. “This is gonna suck to say, but it’s gonna kill me if I don’t say it, so I’m just gonna do it before I change my mind.” Her eyes open and lock in on me, filled with intensity. “I don’t know how I feel about you, but I know that the thought of you sleeping with that girl made me completely sick. When I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you, and it makes me angry that I’m becoming so attached because I’m leaving soon, and we’ll probably never talk again. But I’m here now. And you’re here. And it’s just us. So what I’m saying is?—”
I watch her, hope and anticipation building inside me. Our eyes lock, and for a moment, the rest of the bar fades away. It's just us. She bites her lip and my willpower crumbles.
"Wanna go upstairs?" The words slip from my mouth. I watch her, hopeful and eager for a response. Darcy hesitatesfor a split second, her eyes searching mine. Then gives me a desperate nod. She stands up and grabs my arm, pulling me up with her.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
CHAPTER 13
DARCY
“Are you sure?” Cody asks me, his voice low and rough as his eyes search mine, which sends all my blood pooling in my center. I am sickeningly obsessed with those eyes of his. And the way he looks at me—in a way that makes me want to deserve his attention for the rest of my life.It’s so fucking hot. God, I want this. I need this. I need his touch. I need the rest of these clothes to stop keeping us prisoners, separated from one another.
We’re in his room, on top of his neatly made bed. We’re both shirtless and a bit intoxicated. He’s on top of me, my upper half down to my butt on top of the bed while my legs dangle over the side of it. Well, one of them does, anyway. The other is wrapped around his thigh.
His head dives into my neck again before I can even answer, his breath hot on my skin, sending a tingling sensation down my body in a ragged ripple. It’s like he was so desperate to taste my skin again that it was worth making himself wait a little longer for my answer, which I so desperately want to give him. But I also want to keep those lips of his on my neck. Kissing, sucking, nibbling, moving just the tiniest bit south.
