AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I could never… I could never forget you, Lance.”
I lift my arm to shield my eyes from the shrinking sun, finding goose bumps pebbling on my skin. His bike appears through the trees, and I watch with my heart in my mouth as he bypasses the circular drive and rolls to a stop on the gravel.
He watches me through his visor, and I watch him right back.
Seven years.
I wonder what my face portrays as I stand here because it feels like I’m giving him everything I shouldn’t, and it’s devastating. I want to be stronger than this, but there isn’t anything in the world that could’ve prepared me for this moment.
I’m acting on autopilot, and I’m allowed to feel every second of whatever this is.
He unclips his helmet and my breath hitches.
And then there he is. Lance Sullivan in the flesh. Seven years older and everything that I remember him to be.
His throat works. “Scarlet.”
My eyes snap closed, my face screwing up in anguish. The way his voice washes over me. I never thought about the way that would make me feel. I thought about the way our eyes might meet—penetrating the very parts of my soul he once taught me to love. I thought about everything—so I thought. But never the way my name would sound the first time it left his mouth. The way it would lose all identity and become something else entirely.
An apology.
A plea.
A huge slap to the face.
“Why are you here?” I ask, barely recognising my voice as I punctuate every word.
He takes a step forward, and although I try not to look at him fully, I still see the very parts I’ve spent years trying to forget. His hair is as dark as ever, almost black. His beard looks pristine, trimmed short and smooth against his angular jaw, and for some reason, it bothers me. It bothers me that he looks so well. So put together. So okay.
“I felt maybe we needed some closure.”
My mouth opens, but I quickly close it, my eyes wild and filling with unshed tears. “Closure.” My voice betrays me this time. “You think we need…” I can’t take my eyes off him.
The balls this man has.
“I know I never called—”
“You should leave.”
“Scar—”
“No!” I cover my mouth and step back before walking forward in a rush, taking the steps until I’m in front of him. “Nothing you say to me—” I pause, bile rising in my throat. “There is nothing you could say to me that will ever give me closure.”
His eyes bounce around my face, absorbing me as if it’s the first and last time he’ll get the chance. “I’m sorry, Scarlet.”
“Yeah.” I nod, shaking my head as a tear slips free. “But I’m not the one you should be saying it to. Your apologies don’t mean a thing to me anymore.”
His green eyes get shadowed by his thick brow, his nostrils flaring in anger. “I didn’t come here to hurt you, but it felt wrong not to. I don’t expect anything from you—I don’t want anything from you. I’m going to stay in the city, see mum—”
My brows pinch as my chest burns. “You’ll come back tomorrow,” I say, cutting him off. “No… Friday. You’ll come back on Friday.”
I’ll need to schedule an appointment with Fran before seeing him again.
“I just told you I’m going to stay with my mum. I won’t be around here.”
I look at him. Really look at him. I could let him go, not tell anyone he was ever here, but that would be selfish of me.
“You’reselfish. Did you know that?” I snap. “Probably the most selfish person I’ve ever known.”
