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Ansley
When the ending credits roll on the movie, Taeli stands and stretches. She and Graham were cuddled together on one side of the leather wraparound sofa while Garrett and I shared the other.
I started as far away from him as possible, but as the evening progressed, I slowly ended up next to him with my head against his shoulder.
I’m weak.
“We have to go pick Caleb up at Sara-Beth and Hilton’s house, but you two stay and enjoy the fire. We’ll be back soon,” she says.
Graham extends his hand, and she helps pull him to his feet.
“Damn, my back is sore,” he grumbles.
“I’ll give you a massage later,” she promises.
Graham looks at Garrett. “The bedroom downstairs is available if you want to stay the night. It has its own bathroom, and it’s private, just sayin’. Help yourself.”
They leave, and I stand to take my glass to the kitchen.
Garrett catches my hand.
I look back at him.
“Don’t go. I want to say something,” he requests.
I set the glass back on the coffee table and sit down. “Okay. Talk.”
He blows out a long breath, as if summoning the courage to be honest with me.
“I know you’re still angry about our breakup,” he starts.
The words fly all over me, and I stand.
“Wait.”
He reaches for me again, but I jerk away from his grip.
“Our breakup? You make it sound like you casually ended our high school romance because I wouldn’t put out at prom. You left me. Alone, in a seedy motel in a city I’d never been to before. You kissed me, and I stood there waving like an idiot as you left to get us dinner and never came back. I spent the entire night crying. I didn’t know if you had gotten lost or were dead in a ditch. I had no car. No money. I was terrified. I waited for you. Hungry and scared. Two days later, I had no choice but to call my parents to come get me,” I scream.
“I know. I’m sorry,” he tells me.
“You’re sorry? You’re sorry?!”
He stands and walks toward me, but I take a giant step back.
“Can we stop?” he asks.
“Stop what exactly, Garrett?” I ask.
“Stop moving backward or sideways or in a fucking circle back to the past. I want you to take my hand and move forward with me. One step at a time.”
He extends his hand to me.
I stare at it.
“I don’t know how to move forward,” I mutter.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you or scare you. I was a stupid coward back then,” he confesses.
I let out a humorless laugh. “Back then? You’re still a coward,” I accuse.
“No. I’m not the same man I was then. I was young and trying to keep my head above water. I needed to make something of myself. To prove that I could be the man you needed me to be,” he starts to explain.
“The man I needed you to be was a man who stayed.”
“I’m here now, and if you’ll listen—”
“No. I know how this ends, Garrett,” I interrupt.
“How’s that?” he asks.
“I give in and let you sweep me up into this whirlwind of fun and excitement and desire, only for you to decide that you’re tired or bored. Then, I’ll wake up, and you’ll be gone. No good-bye. No note. Nothing. I’ll be the one left behind, haunted by your memory. I can’t do that again. I finally exorcised your ghost from my life. Do you understand?”
“If you’ll listen to me for a minute, I want to explain.”
“I don’t want to hear any more lies,” I scream.
“I’ve never lied to you, Ansley.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” he insists.
“You told me you loved me,” I mutter.
