Keaton steps closer to me. “Answer me this. Do you love him?”
“No, of course not. Not like you’re asking. I love him just as I do Amelia and Kayla. As a friend.”
“Are you still attracted to him?”
“No. That burned out as fast as it started.”
Keaton shrugs. “Then why the hell do you need to step back from your friendship with him? I trust you, Charlie.”
“It’s just…as much as I’ll miss his friendship, it feels disrespectful to you.”
“Isn’t that for me to decide, though?”
“You don’t find it disrespectful to you?”
“Why would I? He’s not a threat to us because you’ve said he isn’t. You didn’t become friends with him or sleep with him until after we split up. Charlie, he helped you through some of your darker times. I’m always going to be thankful to him for that.” He runs his fingers over my face. “How about I make you a deal? If there’s ever a time your friendship with him makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you about it and we’ll go from there.”
I know what it’s like to have choices taken away in a relationship, and I refuse to do that to him. So I’ll trust him on this.
“Okay.”
He smiles, kisses me on my nose, and steps away. “Now, about that date.”
I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in ages, despite the heavy talk. “Think you can top this date?”
Keaton smirks, and the look in his eyes sends a jolt straight through me. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Oh, baby. I’ll always top,” he says with a wink.
“We’ll see about that,” I toss over my shoulder as I slip inside. “Call me.”
Those baby steps are turning into leaps, and I’m finally ready to take them.
Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together. The road won’t be easy. There will be sharp turns and white-knuckle moments. But when I close my eyes, I can see how bright our future could be. That’s what I’m fighting for. That’s why I’m risking my heart.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but if I can look back and say I lived fully with the people I love, I’ll know it was all worth it.
The betrayal. The heartache. The pain.
But most of all, I’ll know the fight was worth it.
Bookish Dates and Kitten Adoptions
Keaton
“Ican’tbelieveshehad another movie made from one of her books,” Charlie chats happily as we come out of the theatre. “Her books are amazing! Have you read any of them?”
Her joy is infectious as she skips into the open mall, her energy swirling around us and tugging a smile from me that I can’t hold back.
“Well, have you read anything by Chaya Hughes before? She’s big, Kea. Huge. Best horror author I’ve ever read.” She spins to me, her smile stretching. “And guess what she mentioned to her readers?” Charlie bounces over to me, her hands smacking against my chest. “A darkromance. Her first ever romance, Keaton. How cool is that?”
When was the last time I saw her this alive? That unmistakable sparkle in her eyes feels like a sunrise I thought I’d never see again.
It’s proof of her journey, a testament to the healing she’s fought for these past two years.
Watching her now is nothing short of breathtaking.
She’s so fucking beautiful.
