AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Really? Because it sure seems like you did. I know you don’t like him that much, but if you care about me, then you need to know something. Taven was there for me when I was alone and needed a friend. He came to my rescue. He pulled me into his group and watched over me. When I literally had nothing, he was the one I knew I could count on. And right now, he needs my help.”
Ella continued to scowl at him. “Seriously? You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t expect you to understand. I don’t even expect you to be his friend. You don’t have to spend time with him either.”
“Oh, I definitely won’t be friends with Taven. And that isn’t the point. The point is that ever since he got back into town, you’ve been acting different.”
“What do you mean?” He shot the question at her before he had a chance to really analyze the fact that she’d noticed he’d been more distant. Ironically, it probably had nothing to do with what she thought. Yes, Taven caused this shift, but he wasn’t telling Lucas to stay away from her because of who she was. He’d just put that doubt into Lucas’s mind. And that doubt was fully his own fault.
“I mean that you’re different. I can’t describe it. You don’t…” She gritted her teeth, grinding them back and forth. “It’s like you’re embarrassed to be around me.”
Stunned.
That was the only way to describe what he was feeling at this moment. He wasn’t embarrassed by her. Not in the slightest. But he couldn’t tell her that.
How would she react if he told her that he wasn’t sure he was cut out for a long-term relationship? As much as he wanted to confess his doubts, he knew he couldn’t do that. And he couldn’t abandon Taven either. Right now, he was just stuck.
“You don’t really think that, do you?” he said. “Because nothing has changed.”
Ella held up a finger, wagging it back and forth. “Don’t do that. Don’t try to make me feel like I’m seeing something that isn’t there. We were well on our way to getting closer. I…” She pressed her lips together thinly, then looked away. “I trusted you.”
Her words tugged at him in a way he wasn’t prepared for. The guilt intensified, making him think back to what Taven had said at the club.
Maybe he wasn’t a good guy after all. Maybe he’d gotten so bored with all the local girls that he’d seen Ella as a challenge. It made him sick to his stomach, but it was easier to swallow than thinking he was just a coward.
“I guess you made a mistake,” Lucas said.
Her eyes widened. “You didn’t just say that.”
He shrugged. “Didn’t you say from the very beginning that I wasn’t someone you could trust? You didn’t think I was worth wasting your breath over.” Lucas looked away from her so he didn’t have to look at the disappointment and hurt in her eyes. He knew it would be there. His gaze landed on the lunch bag on the ground. This whole experience had been a mistake. He could see that now.
The air in the barn felt colder by a couple degrees and it wasn’t due to the weather. In fact, it had been a nice day—until Taven had shown up unannounced. Lucas ran a hand through his hair, then sighed. “I don’t think we’re going to agree on any of this.”
“No, I don’t think we will.”
He scooped up the lunch sack and returned it to the table. “So, what do you want to do about it?”
“Like I said, I’m not going to stick around if you’re going to be spending time with him. He’s not a good person, Lucas. I’m just surprised you can’t see that.”
Another sigh was expelled from his chest. “I know. But there are just some things… you never know what a person is going through.”
“And what about the things he put me through? I was scarred by some of the things he said about me. Or have you forgotten that?”
“I’m not saying that was right. I’m just saying that sometimes people need a little more grace and less judgment.”
She threw her hands into the air and stormed past him toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t stay in here with you,” Ella tossed the words over her shoulder. “I… just can’t.”
He followed after her. “Does this mean… are you saying that we’re over?”
Ella spun around and faced him. He nearly bumped into her. She held up a hand. “I don’t want to fight anymore. And I can’t—” Her voice broke. “I can’t be with someone who doesn’t understand why this is such a big deal to me.” She turned to leave but then stopped. “You know what? Go ahead and take the rest of the day off. We’re just about done for today anyway.”
“No, we’re not—”
The look she gave him made his voice die in his throat. Lucas couldn’t even bring himself to ask her if she expected him to come back and see the project through to the end. If he had to guess, he would assume she didn’t want to see him again.
