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CHAPTER
12
Sloane
Just as I left Archer's place, I got a text from Jared asking what the hell had been going on with me and why haven't I texted him back. So I decided to just text him to meet me this afternoon at the café, that way I could just get this over with and not have the guilt about what I was doing with Archer behind his back weigh me down any longer.
Pulling into the parking lot, I spotted him leaning on his car with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for me. As I got out of my car, I asked. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Nope." Hearing the tone behind his one-word clipped answer, I already knew this was going to get even uglier than I had anticipated.
I walked over to him. "Look Jared, I'm really sorry about not texting you back last night, I just... I didn't know what to say to you."
He uncrossed his arms and moved closer to me. "What is that supposed to mean? What's really going on with you, Sloane?"
Looking down to take a moment to sum up my courage, I looked back up into the eyes of someone I grew to care a lot for over the weeks and took a deep breath before I had to deliver the hurtful blow. "Before I met you, I was kind of seeing someone, a-and we've decided that we're going to give things with us another try. I am so sorry about this, I never wanted to hurt you Jared, ever, that was not my intention..."
Cutting me off, he spit out. "Let me guess, the asshole I dealt with the other day who said he needed tocatch upwith you, is the guy you’re talking about?"
"Yes, it is. I am so so..."
"Don't! Don't apologize. I don't want anymore apologies from you. I gave you everything. Treated you like a princess and this is how you repay me? Like I'm some jerk you can just use and then throw away because your ex says things will be better this time around? Jesus Sloane, I really thought you and I had something good going. Apparently I was the only one who was falling in love here."
Shocked at his confession that he was falling in love with me, the guilt and sadness of what I'd just done to him started to weigh even heavier on my heart, and tears began to flood my eyes. "I... am... so... so sorry Jared. I had no idea you even felt that way about me. I care about you. I really do. But my heart belongs to him, and I can't change that. I thought I could. I thought if I could just be away from him and move on with my life, that love I had for him would eventually fade away, but it hasn't. I was only fooling myself and managed to hurt you in the process."
Letting out a sigh, he ran his hands down his face, seemingly trying to collect himself. "Are you sure you really want to do this?"
"I have to. If I'm going to try again with him, I have to be in it all the way and that includes not dating anyone else."
"Did he put you up to this?" Not answering fast enough, he said, "He did, didn't he? What, the guy can't handle a little competition? Well, I'm not going out like this, Sloane. I'm not giving up on us."
Tears flowing faster I begged him. "Please Jared, just let me go. I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I already have."
Stepping forward, he grabbed me by my arms and pulled me in, covering my mouth with his. He kissed me with such passion, my mind failed to realize that this was supposed to be over between us.
Finally gaining my common sense back, I pushed him away. "Please, Jared, you can't do things like that."
"You still feel something for me, Sloane. You can't tell me that after that kiss you felt nothing at all, because if you do, it's a damn lie, and you know it."
My mind and emotions started spinning at a million miles per hour, and I couldn't seem to reach out fast enough to get a grip on them. Thinking this was going to be anything short of impossible to break up with Jared was my first mistake. My second, was letting him kiss me. I needed to end this now and just walk away before anything else I'd regret happened. "I'm sorry, Jared. I need to go. I'm very sorry for any pain I've caused you, but I can't see you anymore."
