His next breath is shuddering, like he’s fighting to control his emotions. “I might not be as over that as I thought I was.”
My hand goes cold in his. I control the volume of my voice, still somewhat aware of the room full of people. “You mean you thought you were over rejecting me? What didyouhave to get over, exactly? That night crushed me, Seth.”
His hand releases mine. “Of course I wanted you. And of course watching you kiss another guy made me jealous.” He pushes his chair back, just the slightest bit, but the intention is clear. “I rejected you at the reunion because you were clearly drunk, Parker. Not to mention the fact that you had a boyfriend at the time.”
I don’t bother blinking away the tears that have formed, letting them trickle down my cheeks. For once it’s not anger that washes over me, but shame.
Seth sits further back in his chair, putting as much space between us as possible. “I waited ten years for a second chance with you, Lana. I thought about you constantly, I never stopped loving you. And when I finally found myself in the same room with you again, when I finally got to hear you say you wanted me again, it was because you were drunk,andstill with someone else. What was I supposed to think? I could’ve reacted better, and I’m sorry for that, but it was devastating.”
His tone is so measured and even, I would almost prefer if he yelled at me. I deserve it.
I reach for his hand again, and he lets me take it. “I’m sorry, Seth.”
He lifts our hands to his lips, placing a soft kiss on my skin. “I think our three minutes are up.” He gently sets my hand back on my side of the table and stands. “I’ll see you around, Parker.”
He strides out of the room before I can protest, but it takes less than a minute for me to shove back my own chair and rush after him, ignoring all the nice volunteers asking me to fill out their end-of-the-evening forms. I speed downthe front steps of the church and into the parking lot, thankful it’s mostly emptied out at this point.
Seth is practically racing toward his car, so I do the only thing I can think of and sprint after him.
“Seth!” I look toward the sky as I continue running, sure that a freakish summer rain is about to start pouring down because it’s the only thing that could make this whole situation more cinematic than it already is.
Luckily he slows his steps, turning to face me before coming to a stop in the middle of the parking lot.
By the time I reach him I’m out of breath and sweaty. I hold up a hand, silently asking him to give me a minute to collect myself.
He does, a small, bemused smile tugging on the corner of his lips. Jerk.
I lace my fingers together and rest my hands on the top of my head. “How can you tell me all of that and just leave?”
He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I don’t need any kind of response, I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
“Seth, I...” I’m thankful for the wheezing breaths huffing out of me, disguising my total lack of brain function. Despite running out of the church like I had a response burning at the back of my throat, I still don’t know what to say. I just know I don’t want him to leave.
He wipes a bead of sweat from my brow, right before it drips in my eye. Which is both sweet and gross. “I appreciate you sprinting after me, Parker, but I don’t need any sort of pity response.”
“It’s not pity. Trust me, I would not run for pity.”
He huffs out a laugh.
I finally collect myself, dropping my hands. “I don’t have an excuse for my behavior that night. No excuse would be good enough anyway because I was out of line and I shouldn’t have propositioned you like that.” I can’t believe I put him in that position, and that I came so close to cheating on Evan. I take a step closer, placing a tentative hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat thump under my palm. “But despite my less-than-ideal way of going about it, nothing I said that night was because I was drunk.”
“You had a boyfriend at the time, Parker. A serious one, one you later considered marrying.” He doesn’t remove my hand, but he also makes no move to reciprocate the touch.
I drop my head, unable to look him in the eyes. “I know. And that was unfair. To you and to him.”
We’re quiet for a minute.
“Did you really come here for me?” I ask when I can’t stand the silence any longer.
That familiar smirk tugs on his lips. “Maybe. Partly.” His hand reaches out, grasping my hip and pulling me just a bit closer.
My other hand drifts up, almost of its own accord, tracing the stubble along his jaw. “I’m so sorry you’ve been lonely, Seth.”
His other hand snakes around my waist, tugging me in even tighter, removing the final inch of space separating us. “Whenever I was lonely, I thought of you. And it helped.”
I stop thinking, stop fighting the attraction and the memories and all the reasons this can’t happen. Cupping Seth’s cheek in my hand, I bring my lips to his. The kiss is asoft press, a fleeting second, and I pull away before it overwhelms me and I lose myself in him.
Seth freezes, eyes wide, like if he moves it will disrupt the timeline and make us both fade away and disappear.
