Page 69 of Enemy Games

I let out a breath of a laugh. “Yes, you do.”

“We went from enemies to friends over the course of a few weeks. That was something I never, ever imagined possible. You’ve already shown me the man you are. How thoughtful, kind, and supportive you are. You’ve had chance after chance to walk away. To leave me alone to fend for myself, but you’ve stayed. You were by my side in the hospital. While I trained. At the party. Last night sucked though.”

“I know.” I tried to step back, but Presley’s hold tightened.

“So let’s do better.”

Wait.

“I refuse to let you hide behind your past. Yes, your dad messed you up, but you’re not him. You don’t have to listen to anything he said. You are your own man with your own beliefs and the ability to change them.”

Change? Was that really something I could do? Did I want to? I didn’t want to throw away my chance to be with her, but there was something preventing me from being able to fully give us a shot. It was me. My grip on the things I’ve said and convinced myself of. I didn’t want to let go of the walls I built up. Because that was what my disbelief in love and lasting relationships was. A wall. A way to protect myself from ever getting hurt. A way to prevent what happened to my parents from ever happening to me.

I couldn’t be happy. I couldn’t give myself to Presley without breaking through those walls. Demolishing them.

But that left me open, exposed.

I stared into her eyes, the ones begging me to just try. For her and for me.

She put her hands on my chest. “We can’t pretend like we don’t have history, and that’s fine because it’s a part of our story. The only thing we can do is try to be better. If that's what you want.”

I couldn't believe she was even offering. I spent most of the day debating what I wanted, but the truth was, it was her. Always her. For as long as she’d have me. I just had to be willing to try.

“I can do that.”

“Good.” Her eyes dropped to my lips, and I hesitated until she rose on her toes, closing the distance between us.

I met her halfway, pressing one hand on her lower back and the other around the back of her neck as our lips connected.

She let out a tiny sigh I would remember forever. She was trusting me. She was putting her faith in me.

Her lips parted, inviting me in, and I made a promise then that I wouldn’t make her regret this.

Chapter 19

Presley

I wasn't sure what dating Hunter would look like when I said yes. All I knew was that I had to give us a chance. I was drawn to him for more than just his looks or surprisingly sweet personality.

Seeing him again, and having all those emotions and reminders of our childhood, meant more than it would have if I was just seeing an old bully for the first time after several years. There was something about Hunter that called to me even back then. He’d been important to me before, and I wished I’d realized what the change had meant back then. If only I’d asked my mom about him before things got so bad. Maybe she would have checked in with his mom, and we would have known about the divorce and all he was facing.

Looking back, I could see that he was under the influence of his father. Living in a toxic environment. He was hurting, and he lashed out.

I hated him for several years. Maybe if I had tried a little bit harder. Maybe if I had stood up to him, demanded that he talk to me like he used to, I could have helped. Even in high school, I avoided being near him. But what if I had reached out? What if I bridged the gap and offered friendship? Maybe things could have been different.

But it wasn't our time. We each had things that we needed to learn and live through to become the people we were now.

He pulled back from our kiss and smiled down at me. “I can tell you’re thinking again.”

I giggled and cuddled up to him. It was a tight fit on his single bed, but his dorm was one of the few places we could find a few minutes alone.

“It’s just crazy to think of how we got here. How many things had to go right, or wrong, for us to end up at the same place at the same time? And to both be in a position to be open to dating.”

“You definitely came at the right time. I wasn’t the person I am today in high school, or even the first few years of college. It took a lot of work to get here.”

I rolled over until I could rest my chin on his chest so I could see him. “Like what?”

“I started seeing a therapist as soon as my mom got joint custody. She wanted to repair any damage my dad had caused and hopefully rid me of his influence. It took almost ten years to undo most of the manipulation and his twisted way of thinking. It took that long for me to even start to see him for who he really was, and after that, I did my best to limit his access to me and my life.”