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She settled down beside the haybale, and seconds later, he joined her. His shoulder brushed against hers as they sat there in the quiet of the barn. The wind had stopped. There was no more flickering light in the sky. The only sound she could hear was the sound of their breathing.
Andthe beat of her heart. Goodness, did it have to beat so loud?
Ella pulled up her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She didn’t think she was brave enough to revisit their conversation about the hypothetical date, but she knew she couldn’t leave things the way they were. Turning her head,she rested her cheek on her knees. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you for getting us locked in here.”
He offered her a sad smile. “Me too. I don’t think either one of us would have done this intentionally.”
She released a strained chuckle. “No, I don’t think we would either.” She looked away, a blush returning to her face. “Thank you for the sandwich. It was delicious.”
“You’re welcome.”
This situation had to be the most awkward thing she’d ever experienced in her life. Why did it have to be with Lucas—not that she would have wanted to be locked in a barn with anyone—but Lucas?
Her heart pounded just thinking about spending so much time alone with him.
“So…” He started, “I think we need to clear the air a bit, don’t you?”
Ella grimaced. “I hoped you wouldn’t say that.”
He chuckled, bumping his shoulder against hers. “Yeah. I get that. I should probably apologize to you.”
She stiffened, looking at him with surprise. “You? What for?”
“I…” He pressed his lips together firmly, then breathed out heavily. “I didn’t mean what I said the way I said it… if that makes sense.” He glanced at her again and offered a small smile. “I’m probably going to make you dislike me a little more, but… asking girls out usually comes easy to me.”
Ella huffed. “Yeah, I figured.”
“Except with you.”
She stilled. When she looked at him, she couldn’t read him like she’d hoped. The only thing she could do was brush him off. “You seriously don’t have to say stuff like that.”
His brows creased, lowering over his eyes. “I don’t understand what you think you’re gaining by pushing me away.”
Her heart thundered with that statement, making her feel weak all over.
“I’m not just saying stuff like that,” he used her words. “I’m telling you the truth.”
Still, her confidence wasn’t what it probably should be in this situation, and she wasn’t prepared to give up control. Ella tightened her arms around herself. “You’ll forgive me if I point out that I’m not really your… type.”
He straightened and faced her fully. “I’m sorry? What type are you referring to?”
She dropped her legs to the ground and used her hands to gesture to herself, curves and all. “This. You don’t tend to chase after girls… as well-endowed as myself. It’s fine. You don’t have to pretend. I’m not going to be offended. A lot of guys like those other girls.”
“What other girls?” he pressed.
“Like Trixie,” she said simply. “Girls who could be in magazines. That’s just not who I am.” As embarrassing as it was to admit, she felt a sort of freedom in making the statement. There, now he knew… sort of.
13
Lucas
Lucas gaped at her. Even hearing the words come directly from her mouth, he couldn’t fathom what she’d said. “You think that I’m not interested in you because of your weight?”
She shrugged.
He shook his head, that latent frustration coming to the surface again. “You can’t just shrug at that. This whole time. You’re telling me that you’ve been angry with me because of animaginedprejudice.”
“Can youblameme?” she snapped. “I get it all the time. Guys like you—”
