AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Harper,” I grab for her hand.
“Go, Lance. I mean it. You need to go. You wanted to erase the other
night, right? It’s erased.”
Her words sting so much, my throat clogs. In a barbaric act of stupidity, I throw her over my shoulder and carry her towards her Toyota. This move officially makes me the dumbest fucking man in the history of ever.
“Put me down, you ass!”
“We were in the middle of a conversation, a lover’s quarrel, if you will. If you want to lecture me about manners, it might be good to gain some yourself.”
“We were done.”
“Unlock your truck.”
“What?”
“The keys are in your hand, Harper, unlock it.”
“Why?”
I slap her ass and duck behind an Escalade to avoid a few students.
She yelps at the contact, and I hear the distinct beep and head in the direction of the noise.
“You want this to be real?” I ask hoarsely, my mind racing as I haul her through the parking lot.
“It’s already real. A little too real, if you ask me. And this is not a conversation I want to have when my ass is in the air.”
“If we do this thing, heads up, your ass will be in the air often.”
I open her driver’s door and sit her behind the wheel. She keeps her eyes down. “I’m trying here, Prescott. I’m trying really hard to do what you need me to do.”
“And what do you think that is?”
“Disappear, not exist in your world. I know this world you’re in, maybe better than you because you can’t see outside of it. And you can’t see anything outside of it for months at a time. I get it. That’s how I feel about dance. And I’m a fan of yours, Lance, not because of whatever this is, but because you have real talent. I’ve watched you grow. I don’t want to get in the way of your goals. Honestly, I wouldn’t let you get in the way of mine. And we both know you’re going to get drafted.”
“We don’t know.”
“You have a good chance, depending on how the season goes. Walk away from me, this, now, and you’ll have an even better chance.”
I groan in frustration because I know she’s right, but I don’t move, not an inch.
“What do you want to happen?”
She pushes out a long breath and shrugs. “The impossible. I want it to be easy like it was, but it’s not now. I thought we were connecting. I liked being with you.”
“Me too,” I say softly. “I’ve missed you, Harper.”
She nods. “Me too.”
Silence passes as we both try and find a way around the shitstorm we’ve created. But she’s so close I can taste her; a new addiction, the needle within reach. With her, I can exhale. With her, there’s no pretense. She knows exactly who I am and what I’m about. I let her in, and I did it willingly, no resistance. There’s a reason. I’m into her too much to walk away.
“Maybe our season was summer, you know? And now it’s almost over.”
I lift her hand and she fits her fingers between mine.
“I just don’t want to cost you something I can’t replace, Lance.”
