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Seth rolls his eyes while he takes a long drink from his bottle. “I’m not mad,” he gasps. I watch him throw his bottle back into his bag.
“You could have fooled me.”
Seth groans. “Are you really going to start with me now?”
“What do you mean?” My smile dissipates as I watch Seth. He looks frustrated. His hands are on his hips, he’s glaring at me as if I’ve called him an asshole, which I haven’t. He’s definitely being one now, but I won’t stoop to his level of name calling. At least, not yet.
“I hate it when you pick at me.”
“Seth, I’m not picking. You’re in a bad mood.”
Seth rolls his eyes again, which is starting to annoy me. If I could, I would catch those eyes and make them look at me. I would make him tell me what he’s really upset about. I doubt this is about me and everything about the camp.
“I know this is about training,” I say, instantly cringing when he shoots me an even darker look. If looks could kill, I’m sure Seth would have killed me at least twenty times by now. “And you will be fine,” I continue.
Seth huffs and turns his back to me. “Easy to say for you.”
“We’ve been running for almost two hours. I barely made it up that hill. You’ll be fine.”
“And what if I’m not?” Seth shouts, his back still facing me. I can hear the worry in his voice and it pulls at my heart. Why can’t he believe in himself? We’re the two best runners of the team. He’ll make it. I know he will.
“Then you will try again,” I say while stepping towards Seth.
He shakes his head. “I’m not like you, Alex. Someone like me doesn’t get second chances.”
I grab his shoulder and gently turn him around. His eyes are watering. They twinkle in the moonlight and once again I feel something come over me. It’s not foreign. I’ve felt it with Rachel before. And it’s telling me to push Seth against that tree behind him and kiss him until he can no longer speak.
“You’ll be fine,” I say, my voice hoarse as I push it down, not wanting to go through with whatever my crazy little head has planned. I’m not thinking correctly. It’s the heat. It’s getting to me, making me want to do foolish things that I can’t take back. And knowing Seth, he will shove me away, call me an asshole, and then pretend like I don’t exist for the next several months. Do I really want to go through all that again?
“No,” Seth says while shaking his head, sniffing to contain his tears. “I won’t be.”
My heart swells, hating the pain he’s going through and all I want to do is pull him into my arms and tell him it’s going to be okay. My gaze dips to his mouth again, and my hands fist, my fingernails digging into my palms.
“Alex?” Seth asks, his brows pinching together as I stand there, foolishly watching his mouth, like some lovesick horny idiot.
I purse my lips, my eyebrows pinching together as I lean towards him. Seth doesn’t pull away from me. He stands there, watching me, half leaning into me. Ah, fuck it. Who cares if he runs away from me for the next several months?
My hand pushes his chest backwards and he hits the tree with a grunt. His mouth opens, possibly to say something, but I ignore it as my mouth meets his, and once again, I feel how soft he is, and somehow our bodies just fit together, as if they were always meant to.
Chapter 19
SETH
KissingAlexshouldn’tfeelthis way. His lips on mine are firm and soft, making my heart flutter in ways it shouldn’t. Part of me wants to ask him if he’s complete lost it? Did he smoke some weed before our run? Although, that’s doubtful given how focused he was on the run up this stupid hill. My eyes are slowly closing and I can feel myself giving in to Alex’s charm. My hands fist and the bite of my nails digging into my palms pulls me back to reality. I shove him away before I can deepen the kiss, his widening eyes mirroring my own shock.
“What are you doing?” I ask harshly, my breath coming to me in pants as I stare at him in the darkness.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Alex asks angrily. “I’m kissing you, you idiot.”
“Why?” That’s a dumb question, yet it slips out regardless.
“What do you mean why?”
I stomp my foot, frustrated that Alex won’t give me a solid answer. I want to know if he’s doing this to make me feel better, or if he actually likes me—likes me more than friends. But I can’t say that. I’m too stubborn. Sometimes I irritate myself with how bullheaded I can be.
“You know what I mean,” I say, hating the whine in my voice.
Alex steps towards me, approaching me slowly like a lion about to pounce on its prey. I step backwards, but my back bumps into the tree behind me. There’s nowhere for me to run. And even if I could, I’m too invested in what he will try to do—too interested. I would kick myself if I could. This shouldn’t be happening. I should tell him to fuck off and then march my way home. Instead, my hands grasp the tree behind me, feeling the cool rough bark against my palms as I watch Alex slowly approach.
