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The statement catches me off guard. Looking at him, he can't be older than twenty-three or twenty-four.
"I got my high school girlfriend pregnant when we were sixteen. Being from a small town, the only option our parents saw was that we had to get married. Carolyn was sweet, and I thought she was my best friend, but we weren't ready for marriage. But I was committed to my vows, committed to her. Little Emma was born four months after we got married. She was perfect."
My breath catches at finding out not only was he married, but he had a child. Where are they now?
"Finances were tight since neither of our parents had very much money of their own. I began to work longer hours, going out for weeks at a time with Pop on fishing trips trying to get bigger hauls. I came home one day early one trip, wanting to surprise Carolyn. I even had flowers in my hand," he says, and it comes out self-deprecating. "I arrived minutes after Carolyn's lover had just left. A lover who I found out was one of my best friends from school. It didn't take long to find out that Emma wasn't actually mine either. There I was, killing myself for vows that I had committed myself to, and everything I thought I was doing it for disappeared in a second. I was devastated."
"Where are they now?" I ask, my voice filled with heartbreak at imagining that happening to him.
"Carolyn left our house that night after we fought. She took Emma with her. It was raining. She wasn't paying attention...and she ran off the road into a ditch."
His voice breaks off with a hitch, and I don't have to inquire further to know what happened to them. He clears his throat.
"I'm telling you this..." he continues hoarsely. "I'm telling you this because Carolyn's dishonesty and her infidelity twisted my perspective on relationships. I didn't believe I deserved one. I gave myself to physical needs only, never emotional ones. Trina was one of the casualties of that. I never thought we were anything. She just kept showing up, following me around everywhere I went. I'm ashamed of how it went down with her. But I never made her any promises."
It's a lot to take in, and my heart aches for him. But I don't want to be another Trina either.
"My heart isn't in a position to be something to feed your itch," I tell him.
He opens his mouth to respond, but I cut him off.
"Honestly, I have my own past that makes it so I definitely am not in a position to be what you need emotionally either. But I don't want to be another Trina."
Will draws in a deep breath. "This is going to sound absurd since I know this is only the third time that we've even spoke, but the first time I saw you in that room, it felt like you ripped my heart out of my chest. I couldn't breathe when I saw you. You've put me under some kind of spell."
"Was it the onion breath, or the loud belch I gave after my linguine?"
He laughs, and it's catching as I begin to giggle as well.
"Neither, it was definitely that you actually ate your linguine with your hands. The loud slurping was a plus as well."
We both erupt in a peal of laughter.
"Did you see that lady's face?" I ask, gasping for breath. "I thought she was going to faint."
"Yes, I'm pretty sure that was a first for that restaurant, someone actually leaving without starting their meal."
He wipes his eyes that are watering from laughing so hard.
"That was definitely a first for me, a girl actually doing everything she can to get away from me."
Our laughter finally trails away and we're left sitting in a peaceful silence while we finish eating, the sound of the waves audible in the distance.
"Since we're on the subject of difficult conversations," he begins tentatively, and my heart clenches knowing what's coming next. "You said the other night that it would have been your wedding anniversary…"
I smile sadly at him. "I guess since you just told me your secrets, I should tell you some of mine."
I look off at the sea, debating what to say. I've never told anyone but Clara about my travel through time, and although I'm beginning to trust Will, the whole story is so fantastical that it would be hard for anyone to believe. But I can at least give him a snippet.
"I was engaged to an extraordinary man," I begin softly. "We were separated from each other the night before we were to wed and couldn't find our way back to one another. He passed away not that long ago."
A tear starts to fall down my face, and my breath hitches when I feel his palm caress my skin as he wipes it away. He turns my head so that I'm looking him in the eyes.
"Maybe we can help each other heal some of our wounds," he tells me, searching my eyes for something that I'm not sure of.
I close my eyes, savoring the feel of his touch. When I open them again, my focus immediately turns towards his lips. I find myself wanting him to kiss me so badly that it hurts. His tongue sweeps out to lick his bottom lip, and I hear myself give a little groan.
He draws closer to me, now staring at my lips as well. A shiver passes down my spine as his mouth hovers near mine.
