“Honey, you’re going to get yourself hurt.”
I stare down at the mix of chicken, baked potato, and pickled cucumber in the bowl on my lap, poking at it with my fork. There's no way I’m eating. Everything inside me feels stuck.
She puts her arm around me, her lime green nails lightly scratching the skin on my shoulder.
“I wish things were different. I really do. The guy is a player. Calvin once told me Tom has girls for every single day of the week.”
Girls.
She nods toward the group. “Look at him.”
Tom is now surrounded by at least 30 people, playing an acoustic version ofLittle Lies by Fleetwood Mac. Everyone sings along.
“I get it. He’s handsome and charming. Of course you fell for him. He’s Tom McKenna. Everyone falls for him. And he...”
She looks away. “…he falls for everyone.”
All of a sudden, I don’t feel like talking anymore. I can’t tell if she’s giving me a harsh truth or if she's calling me naive.
Probably both.
Either way, I don't want to hear it, and trying to convince her this is different feels pointless.
Maybe I shouldn’t blame her. She only sees this version of him, not the one I see in the darkest hours of the night.
God, I sound completely love-blind right now.
Maybe she's right about one thing, it’s likely this will all come crashing down.
So perhaps the real question isn't whether he wants me. Maybe it's whether I'm willing to risk my heart, my career for this.
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes.
Tom walks over, laughing at something Zion just said. Our eyes meet and something in him changes. The laughter drains away, his face turning serious.
He goes to sit on the half-broken wall in front of me, knees touching.
“Are you okay?” he asks, searching my face like he knows there’s stuff I’m not saying.
I manage a small smile, brushing my hair back, letting the breeze do the rest.
His hand finds my knee, thumb sliding along the inside of my leg, slowly back and forth, challenging the edge of my control.
Tiffy’s eyes flick between us more than once. I shoot her subtle look.
You see? I’m not making this up.
“Yeah, just tired. It’s been a long day,” I say. “We still have to drive all the way back to West Cove, so I was thinking we should head out soon.”
Tom nods, adjusting his guitar a little.
“I get it. Thanks for bringing me here. I’m having such a great time. It’s cool seeing a different side of Avalon, what your life looks like outside Arcadia. It feels good.”
His tongue skims the curve of his lower lip, leaving a faint sheen that catches the moonlight. I wish I hadn’t noticed as it sends warm pulses into places I’m trying very hard to ignore.
“We can stay a little longer if you want…”
The words fall out of my mouth, my marshmallow spine giving in, once again.
