Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
I head outside, the cooler evening air bringing a small sense of relief to my overheated body. My thoughts are a mess. Laurie, the party, my dad. I'm still not entirely sure how this happened.
I wander aimlessly through the gardens, not wanting to go back inside just yet. It's quiet and peaceful out here, and the farther I get from the house, the easier it is for me to think clearly.
Then I see her.
She’s standing on the stone pathway leading to the garden, her silhouette bathed in the soft glow of the moon. She’s got her arms wrapped around herself, lost in her own thoughts. If I turn around right now, she'll never know I was here.
But as I've proven to myself time and time again, I'm a fool.
I step forward, my boots crunching on the gravel. Laurie turns when she hears me, and for a moment, neither of us says anything. We’re standing there, just staring at each other, the air between us so thick with unsaid words that it’s suffocating.
“Adam,” she says softly, almost like she’s surprised to see me here. Her voice is low, tentative, but curious.
I have to clear my throat before I can speak. "Laurie. You’re...outside,” I say, stupidly.
I'm mentally kicking myself, but it surprises a laugh out of Laurie. "Sure am. So are you, I noticed. I just needed some air. Tonight has been...a lot."
"Yeah, it sure fucking has."
The silence stretches, and I can feel the pull between us again, that invisible thread connecting us that’s never truly snapped. I can’t stand it any longer. “Laurie, why did you disappear after that night? After we—” I can’t even say it.
She tenses, arms crossing over her chest, and I can see her guard go up instantly. "After we fucked?"
Now it's my turn to be shocked. "Yeah. After we fucked."
Laurie shrugs one shoulder, and I immediately know she's about to close down. She’s been avoiding this for a year, and I have no idea why I thought she’d open up now.
"I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't matter now anyway, right? Our parents—"
I flinch, stomach turning. "I know. But don't say it, please. Fuck. I haven't even processed that yet."
"Yeah. Me either. God, it's so messed up," Laurie whispers, her eyes going distant.
I nod, stepping closer to her. Close enough to reach out and touch her. I could do it, but I don’t. Instead, I just stare at her, my eyes lingering on the way her breasts push against the silky fabric of her dress, the curve of her hips.
I shouldn't be thinking about her this way, but it's like I can't help myself.
"How did this even happen, Adam?"
She's looking away now, out across the darkened lawn. The question seems like a simple one, but the answer is impossible. There are so many variables, so many little choices that could have altered the course of the last year.
"Hell if I know, Laurie. But I want to know why you left—"
She cuts me off, her gaze finally meeting mine with an intensity that makes my chest ache. “I lied, okay?” Her voice shakes just slightly, and I almost don’t hear her. But she continues, like she has to get it out. “I told you I was a bartender in town, but I wasn’t. I didn’t want you to know who I really was. The Cartwright heiress. I didn’t want you to treat me any differently."
She had an entire life that I was ignorant about until tonight. The girl who has been haunting my dreams isn't who I thought she was at all. How much of herself did she hide?
“I went back to New York the next day,” she continues, almost like she’s speaking to herself now. “I was only in town for Mom's birthday, and I had a job waiting for me there. I didn’t...I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t stay here with you.”
"So you lied about who you are." It's a statement, not a question, but she answers me anyway.
“Yes. I lied. But it wasn’t about you. It was about me. And it’s not something I want to talk about. Okay?”
There’s a sharpness to her words now, and I realize this is the most honest she’s been with me. She’s hiding behind walls, just like I am. And I get it. I understand it more than she knows. I want to reach out to touch her, to comfort her, but her body language is still closed off.
Instead, I take a step back. “Okay. But you should know, I looked for you, Laurie. I didn’t just forget you.”
Laurie's expression shifts, her surprise shining through for less than a second. Then she's shuttered again. She doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t even look at me.
I take a steadying breath. “So,” I say, trying to keep my tone light, “are we going to talk about how this is actually going to work? You and me living in the same house for a year?”