Page 125 of Forever Relentless

My head tilted to the side as I studied her. “Wow. I mean . . .” I started backing away from her. “Just wow.” I turned away and kept going to Dustin’s car.

“Shit.” I heard her coming after me. “Wait!”

“Why?” I called, not slowing.

“Because I said so, damn it.” She was getting closer. “Damn it, Noah, stop!”

I did. She bounced off my back, and spinning quickly, I managed to grab her.

“Ow!” She looked up at me through the curtain of her hair, fighting the smile. “Thank God you’ve got good reflexes. I didn’t want to land on my ass.”

I let her go and stepped back. “You just chased me down the sidewalk.”

She shrugged. “So?”

I couldn’t keep up with her. “Why are you here?”

She pointed at her clothes. “Yoga.”

I’d guessed that. “What do you want?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I crossed my arms as we spoke, my feet slightly apart.

“Because you look like you’re about to tell me my name’s not down, so I’m not getting in.”

A bouncer joke again. “And?”

She scoffed as she looked away. “Okay. Fine. Noah is in oafish mode. Call me when you’ve chilled out.”

“Why?”

Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer. “Seriously?”

I didn’t react to her question.

“Is this because we made out?” She looked ready to punch me.

“No.”

Briar tugged the ends of her ponytail and then tossed it over her shoulder. “Is this because they benched you?”

“No.”

Her green eyes narrowed into slits. “So it is because I turned you down.”

I shook my head, and my arms dropped to my sides. “No. I’m going home, enjoy yoga.”

“This is because I didn’t fuck you! Are you serious?”

I didn’t turn around. “Shout it louder, Briar, I don’t think everyone heard you.”

“Asshole!”

I got into Dustin’s car and watched her stomp back to the gym. She was on her phone, and I doubted she was texting me.

Why was I pissed at her? I wasn’t. I was pissed at the specific situation of wanting someone who had the right to say no and did. I respected her decision, but I also respected myself. I wasn’t going to chase her when she wasn’t sure what she wanted. I also couldn’t be around her right now without thinking about what I’d already set in motion without her. That was a different kind of distance.