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“Yeah, okay, we’ll see. You owe me big time for this lie, by the way.”
She heads toward the front door with me close on her heels. The cool air of the diner hits my skin and instantly I get goose bumps. I stare at the off-white tiles on the floor in an attempt to calm my nerves. So far, I have not noticed a speck of dirt on the floor. I bump into Raegan because I’m not looking where I’m going.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I mutter, slowly raising my head.
My gaze lands immediately on Hilary, and her eyes widen at the sight of me. Her expression betrays her shock. She reaches for her glass of water, almost downing it in one sip. Raegan slides into the booth and clears her throat. I sit beside her, not saying a word. Hilary looks just as beautiful as the last time I saw her. Instant regret fills me as I recall letting her go. If I ever had that chance again, I’d never screw it up.
“So, Hilary…I am sorry I didn’t tell you about Lance coming. Truth is, I lied to him and told him you knew he was coming.” When Hilary said nothing, Raegan added, “I am here for you, and if you ever need a girls’ night out, and want to stay in and watch movies or something, I’m around. But when it comes to Lance, you two need to figure this out together. You two have history, and he really wants to help you again. This is the only way I knew to get you two together to talk without World War Ten breaking out. I’m going to run up the road to my dad’s for a few minutes. You two need to talk.”
I look at her like she just sprouted two heads. What a fucking set up. She’s a damn genius, but I’ll tell her that later. Right now, I kinda want to ask her what the hell she’s doing, lying to both of us like this.
“Well played, Raegan.” I chuckle.
Hilary looks at the two of us like we’re insane. The truth is, I feel like I should drive myself to the loony bin.
She laughs as she dangles the keys in front of my face. “Move and let me out of this booth.”
I groan as I get out of her way. Hilary looks like she might run for it, but as soon as I sit back down, she tenses for a moment before relaxing. I wasn’t prepared for this. One minute, I’m made to believe she wants me here, then I’m told she has no clue, and now we’ve been hit with having to sit here alone and talk. Nervously, Hilary brushes a strand of hair from her face. She reaches again for the cup of water and when she drinks it dry, she purses her lips together and then reaches for her phone.
“Who are you calling?” I ask, breaking the silence.
She looks up and glances back down to the phone, hurriedly typing something before shoving it back in her purse. “N-no one.”
“Look, Hilary, I know how you must feel about me now. I wish like hell I could get you to understand just how sorry I am for everything. Not a moment goes by that I don’t regret how I acted that evening. We had the perfect first date, and I ruined it. I just, I don’t always understand a lot of things, but I’m not here to bring any of that up.”
“Lance, I’m sure Raegan meant well setting this up, but I-I can’t be here. It was just supposed to be her. He could be watching and…” Tears well in her eyes, and my heart shatters. He’s completely broken her. She doesn’t have to say it, because it’s written all over her face.
“Hey,” I say softly as I pull her hand into mine. “What happened to the Hilary who was so strong in high school? The girl who I stuck up for no matter what anyone else said? What happened to the free-spirited Hilary I met in the bar?”
“She’s not here anymore,” she chokes out. Tears stream down her face, and I reach across the table, using my thumb to dry those tears. A waitress comes over and sets two glasses of water in front of us. I smile politely and wave her off. “I want to get away from him, Lance. I want my old self back, but I don’t know how to get it. I’ve been wondering what it would be like to see you again. I didn’t know what I would do if I saw you but here I am crying. What is wrong with me?”
“Nothing is wrong with you, Hilary. What has he done to you?” I whisper. I didn’t mean to ask that out loud, but it slipped a little too easily from my lips.
I move to the other side of the table to be closer to her, and wrap my arm instinctively around her shoulder to pull her to me. She whimpers in pain as her body slides closer. My eyes widen in bewilderment, then in anger as I realize what the hell is going on. Her upper arm is covered in bruises. She doesn’t have to show them to me. I don’t want to see them, but I know they’re there.
“Let’s go talk outside. There’s a picnic area around the corner.” I place a twenty dollar bill on the table, and lead her out of the booth. When we get outside, I pull her into a tight hug. She doesn’t flinch or move away. I lead her to the secluded picnic area. I’ve never been more relieved to see it empty.
“I don’t know what to do, Lance. I don’t know what I did to him. I stopped talking to you like he asked. I’ve done everything he’s asked me.” She weeps against me, her tears staining my shirt.
Dammit, where is Raegan when I need her for all this mess? I don’t know how to handle this. Raegan knows a little more, even though it was her dad who abused her and not a boyfriend. The only way I know to handle this is to beat the living shit out of Travis.
“You’re hiding this from your dad?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“You have to tell him, Hil. You have to let him help you.”
“He’ll never forgive me, Lance. If he knew, he’d kick me out of the house. I’d have nowhere to go.”
“He’s your father. It’s just a bad relationship, you can’t help that it happened to you. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but you’ve got a group of friends and family who would do anything to help you. I’m not just saying this because I like you, Hil, I’m saying this because it’s true.”
“It’s not that easy. There’re things going on that you have no idea about. Travis doesn’t even know. I’m willing to get out now while I have the chance. That’s why I’ve been talking to Raegan. She’s been helping me cope with some of this, and know I deserve better. There’s just one little problem.”
“You deserve so much better. What is the problem? Whatever it is, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
She closes her eyes and her breath quickens as she struggles to find the words. Why do I seem to ask the stupidest questions? Why can’t I just keep my mouth shut? She pulls her hand away from mine and covers her face as ugly sobs take over her body. I pull her closer and let her cry it out. My heart continues to break for her. This is turning to be more than I bargained for, but I’m up for a challenge. I’ve fought for her since the beginning, and even though times have changed and I haven’t seen her until recently, I won’t stop now.
“Hilary. You can tell me anything, I want you to know that.”
