Kendall:I fucking knew it. Stay there.
Kendall: Also, Wilder's been texting me updates for THREE YEARS hoping you'd come back
Me: What?!
Kendall: Dude’s been Team Kara since day one. Says Rustin's only happy when he talks about you
Me: It’s a little late to be passing this along lol, don’t you think?
Kendall: Whatev… Enjoy the reunion sex. I’ll handle Mom and Dad.
“Your family freaking out?” Rustin hands me a full drink and I take a sip off the top.
“My sister. She’s running interference.”
“That’s good.” He takes a long drink from his own mug then leans back. “You can’t stay here, Kara.”
The words hit like a punch to the chest. “What?”
“Not tonight obviously. Tonight you don't have a choice. But after. The storm should clear by morning. The roads won't be safe until they plow?—”
“Just so you know, I wasn’t planning to stay here.” I fold my arms over my chest with a lie I’m not sure how to land.
“Weren’t you?” His eyes pin me. “You ran straight here. In a wedding dress. To me.”
“No,” I snap. “I told you, I just ran and there was nowhere else to go. Somehow I ended up here.”
“Bullshit.” The word is soft but firm. “You could have gone out to Misty Mountain, stayed at that little hotel you like so much. Could have driven to your sister’s place. But you came here. So why don’t you tell the truth, for once.”
“Fine.” I put down the mug before I drop it. “Fine. The truth is I stood at that altar and all I could think about was you. You would have hated everything about the wedding. The stupid ice sculpture and the pretentious music. Then I thought about how you’d look at me in this dress… You know, before it was trashed by the snow.” My voice cracks. “I was about to promise my life to someone else and your stupid, handsome face was all I could see. The worst part is, I knew you were out here in Lumberjack Lagoon, hating me.”
There’s a long stretch of silence as the truth bubbles between us. It sucks up all the air in the room.
“I tried to hate you. It didn’t take. Every time I’d get close to convincing myself that you weren’t it for me, I'd remember something.”
“Like…” I raise an eyebrow in a flirty challenge.
Rustin’s eyes go dark. “Like the way you'd bite my shoulder when you were close. How you'd be so pretty when I took my time. The sounds you made when I'd use my tongue to?—"
"Stop," I whisper, and my cheeks flush with heat.
"Why? You're already squirming. I'm already thinking about it. I can see it in your eyes." He stands and paces to the window. “Look you and I both know that this isn’t a good idea. You andme. You just blew up your entire life. You’re in crisis. I’m not going to be your rebound.”
“You’re not—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“Aren’t I? You literally ran from another man’s arms to mine.”
There’s a sadness in his tone that breaks my heart. A long beat of silence settles between us.
I let out a heavy exhale. “I ran from a life that was suffocating me.”
“And tomorrow? Next week? When the adrenaline wears off and reality sets in? When your family comes looking?” He turns to face me. “What then?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I don’t have a plan. I don’t have answers. All I know is that I couldn’t say those vows.”
“And you think that means we can just pick up where we left off?” Fire builds behind his eyes.
“No.” I stand too. The blanket falls off my shoulders and pools around my feet. “I think we’re different people now. I think we both have scars. I think it would be complicated and messy. But complicated and messy with you is still better than perfect with anyone else.”
