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Still nothing.
“Hayley...” He stepped closer. “Hayley, look at me.”
I finally caved. “Yes?”
“Can I talk to you outside, please?”
“No.”
“Okay, well—” He cleared his throat. “I’m honestly not going to ask you again, so if you don’t want me to toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of here, I suggest you take my hand.”
He held out his hand, and I crossed my arms.
“I’ll follow you, but I’m only giving you five minutes,” I said.
“I only need two.”
I checked my watch and followed him to the private garden on the side of the building. I started to take a seat on the stone bench, but he grabbed my hands and pulled me close.
“I miss you, Hayley,” he said, the words rushing from his lips. “I fucking miss you.”
“I can’t say the same.”
“Bullshit.” He squeezed my hands a little tighter. “I haven’t been able to sleep since I foolishly broke up with you. All I do is think about you and what you’re doing, what you’re up late baking, and how much longer you’re going to ignore me... I also think about fucking you a lot.”
“Really, Corey?”
“Sorry.” He let my hands go and pulled a folded sheet of paper from his jacket. “The written version is a lot better.” He unfolded it, looked at the words—as if he was confirming he had it memorized, and then he took my hands again.
“Hayley, I’ve liked you since you climbed through my window on that rainy day in Ohio,” he said. “I’ve always thought that you were my best friend, long before Jonathan. And even though you stopped talking to me when you went away to college, I still thought about you—a lot. I wanted to know what you were up to, what type of friends you were making, what type of guys would be my competition if I ever had the chance to pursue you properly.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“I’ve thought a lot about what you said at dinner that night we were out by the sea—why you stopped taking my calls, and I wish I’d known that you thought I was laughing at your journal entry that day because I wasn’t. Not in that way, anyway.”
“There’s only one way to laugh, Corey.”
He smiled. “I was laughing because I thought it was cute, not out of malice. And I’m pretty sure I dumped that girl for reading your shit without permission three hours later. I also vividly remember telling her that you were prettier and I was more likely to marry you one day than her.”
I blushed, but I didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry for hurting you.” He looked directly into my eyes. “I honestly should’ve told your brother to go fuck himself when he gave me that ultimatum,” he said, surprising me. “Best friend or not, I didn’t need to cave to what he thought was best for you because I know that I’m what’s best for you. And I feel like we’ve never had a chance to fully be together, back then or now, but I’m not willing to accept a what if. I need to know what we could be if we gave it a true chance. Since we don’t have to hide anything anymore, I’m begging you for another chance.”
“And if say no, because I’m long over you and over us?” I asked.
“I’d say you’re lying to yourself.” He pressed a light kiss on my lips. “But I’ll also say I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to admit it.” He let my right hand go and reached into his pocket, pulling out the charm bracelet he’d given me weeks ago. He clasped it onto my wrist and pulled his sheet of paper out again, reading it for a few seconds before taking my hands.
“There really is a paragraph in my letter about how much I miss fucking you, but if you don’t want me to read it—”
“I don’t want you to read it.” My cheeks reddened again. “I can assume what it says.”
“Well, I also miss making love to you, and I want you to know that you were my first regarding that.” His voice was hoarse. “And you’re also the first woman I’ve ever loved—even though I didn’t know it at the time. I know it now. And I also know that if you don’t take me back today, I’m going to keep asking every day until you do.”
I stared into his eyes, waiting for him to finish.
“Hayley Statham, will you please take me back so I can make this up to you?”
I was silent for several seconds. Then I smiled. “I’ll think about it, Corey Walters.”
