“You don't know who I was talking to,” I say a bit too defensively. I sit across from him on the loveseat and return his questioning look with a look of defiance.
“Then who were you talking to?” he asks.
I look away.
“That's what I thought,” he says. “You know I was actually dating this girl before I came here, she was my real girlfriend, not a sort of girlfriend. But I know better than to keep toxic people in my life so I haven't spoken to her since that night at the bonfire. I thought you were on the same page as me, but I guess I was wrong. I guess you prefer guys who treat you like shit.”
I stand up and grab my purse off the end table. “Shut up, Jace. You aren't allowed to care what I do. You're leaving. You're going back home, and you're leaving and everything we've done together will mean nothing. I pull open the front door. “So don't even act like I deserve better than Ian, because better guys don't stay around.”
Chapter 16
The next day, my grandparents get all dressed up and leave in the afternoon to attend a fiftieth anniversary celebration for the town's police chief. They tell me not to wait up for them because they'll be late getting home. Grandma doesn't trust me behind the stove, which is probably a good idea on her part, and leaves me money for food. I order Chinese food and eat it on the front porch swing in a miserably failed attempt to stop thinking about Jace.
I really need to get a hobby.
I'm picking through my shrimp fried rice when the sound of a car engine catches my attention. I peer down the road and wait for the car to get closer, hoping it's the red Malibu that's been missing all morning from the driveway next door. As the car approaches, it slows down and my heart sinks when I notice the black paint job.
Then my heart flips over in my chest. I know this car.
My legs drop out from under me, stopping the porch swing. I sit rigid, holding my fork with my food in my lap, hoping that I won't be noticed. The car's window rolls down as the tires slow to a crawl on the gravel road. I swallow. I should run inside the house, lock the door and close the windows, but I'm paralyzed on the porch swing.
The car turns into the driveway and parks at the end of it, near the mailbox. Ian steps out. I close the lid on my Chinese takeout box and stand up on wobbly knees.
Ian throws his arms open wide. “There she is!”
I step off the porch, glancing around even though I know we're alone. Ian's wearing a tight black shirt and ripped up jeans. His hair hangs in his eyes and his smile is exactly the way I remember it.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, holding the container of food in front of me as a barrier between him.
He puts a hand to his chest as if he's hurt. “I missed you. I couldn't wait all summer to see you.”
“How did you know where I am?” I ask.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Well, uh, you posted what town you were in on Facebook. In case you didn't know, Salt Gap has a population of two hundred and fourteen. Geez, Bayleigh I thought you'd be happy to see me.”
“So did you just drive around until you found me? What if I hadn't been outside?”
Ian shakes his head in frustration. “Why do you have to question everything like I'm some kind of dumbass? No, I didn't fucking drive around. I used a phone book. There's only one person with your last name in this town and that's where I drove.” He lets out an obnoxious sigh. “But since you're ungrateful as shit about me driving out here then maybe I should just go home.”
Tears swell up in my eyes as Ian yells at me. I didn't mean to annoy him. “I'm sorry,” I say. “I'm just surprised.” I glance toward Jace's empty house for a second and then back at Ian. His brows draw together and he turns around, trying to find what I was looking at before turning back to me. His arms open wide. “Can I get a hug?”
I draw in a deep breath and walk into his open arms. Images of that girl in his Facebook photos flicker across my mind and I use them as reinforcement that I should not accept him back. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly, exactly how he used to. I can't believe it hurts so much. Ian was everything to me a couple weeks ago.
Maybe he still can be.
Chapter 17
Ian's hands have this magical tendency to grab parts of my body even though I keep shoving him off. We sit on the porch swing for an hour and I only allow Ian to go inside to use the bathroom. I told him I can't risk pissing off my grandparents by having some strange guy in their house when they get home, and for once, he's not being an asshole about it.
“You're still avoiding that question I asked you,” I say with an innocent tone as I poke him in the rib cage. His arm tightens around my shoulder and he leans in closer to me.
“So many questions,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “Let's just be happy we're together.”
Hating Ian was a lot easier when he was still back at home and I was stuck here. Now that he's right in front of me, with all his gorgeousness just smacking me in the face, it's really hard to remember why I hated him.
But it doesn't take much to make me remember that blonde girl. I square my shoulders, and speak quickly before I chicken out. “Becca said some girl added you as being in a relationship with her on Facebook.”
He gives me a dismissive roll of his eyes. I pull his arm off me and place it back in his lap. “I'm serious. I want to know who she is and why I'm supposed to trust you again.”
