I hesitate, not wanting to get rejected, but also aware that I’m the one who needs to make the next move. “Yeah, like a date?” I say quietly. “I got a reservation for two at a place close by.”
Carter’s gaze doesn’t leave mine as his right hand comes up and massages the back of his neck. His jaw tightens for a moment as he takes in the busy lobby around us, full of tour staff. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me into a secluded corner.
“Can I be honest with you?” he asks hesitantly.
I nod. “Always.”
“I don’t know how to do this, Kels,” he admits, his voice almost too quiet for me to hear. “I hate being in situations where I don’t know what to do, and I have no idea how to be casual with you.”
I glance at him, my heart unexpectedly racing. “What do you mean?”
He runs a hand through his hair as he lets out a sigh. “You want the embarrassing truth? I liked you in high school and probably before that,” he says, the words tumbling out in a rush. “But I never thought… I never thought you’d feel the same or that the timing would be right. And then you propositioned me as I held you in my arms, and I thought I was getting a chance—a real chance.”
The words hit me harder than I expected. My throat tightens, and I blink rapidly, trying to process everything he just said. Carter Mitchell, the guy I’ve been spending all this time with, the guy I can’t seem to stop thinking about, liked me all those years ago?
“But now,” Carter continues, his voice low, vulnerable in a way I’ve never heard before, “I realize it means something more to me than it does to you.”
I start to contradict him, but he shakes his head and keeps going.
“And that’s okay. You were clear when we started that we weren’t dating. I just didn’t want to believe it.”
I don’t know what to say as I look into his dark eyes so full of emotion.
“I’m not good at this. At the whole…talking-about-feelings thing. But I need you to know that as much as I want to accept any little scrap of you you’re willing to throw my way, I can’t. Lying in bed last night, alone, willing myself not to reach out to you was one of the most painful things I’ve ever done. I can’t do it for the rest of my life, let alone for the next three weeks, Kels. I’m not just looking for a fling or a few nights. I want something more. With you.”
It’s like the air is sucked out of my lungs. He wants more? My mind races, and I can’t find the words to match the storm inside me.
“Carter—” I whisper, but he cuts me off before I can finish.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he adds quickly. “I know it’s not what you’re interested in. I just needed you to know why I can’t do whatever this is anymore.”
I stare at him, my mind working overtime. I don’t know how we got here—how everything shifted so quickly between us. But letting go of Carter is not something I’m willing to do, even if I’m terrified of what it might mean.
“I want to have a chance with you,” Carter says.
“And what if I don’t know what I want yet?”
“Then we’ll take it slow,” Carter says immediately. “But are you sure it’s that you don’t know, or is it that you’re afraid? Because I’m not him. I’m not your ex. I know it’s hard to believe, but I need you to know—I would never betray your trust.I’m here for you, Kelsey. Whether you’re my friend, my colleague, or something more, I’ve got you. No matter what happens, I’ve got your back.”
I hesitate, searching his face for something—some hidden meaning or reassurance I guess I still need.
Carter wraps my small fingers in his large ones.
“I’ve never been good at trusting people,” I whisper, hating the slight shake in my voice.
“That’s okay. And I know I let you down at the beginning of the tour, which likely makes it harder. But I’m not asking you to trust me all at once. I’m asking you to trust me with today. And if you give metomorrow, I’ll earn a little more of your trust then. Slowly. But I’ll earn it, Kels.”
“Okay. Then…it is. What I’m interested in, I mean. Something more.”
His eyes soften, and for a moment, it’s just us. There’s no competition, no pressure, just the quiet understanding that things are changing between us. And maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly what we both need.
“You really don’t make anything easy, do you?” he says, his smile returning, this time warmer, lighter.
“No,” I say, shaking my head with a smirk. “But I promise I’ll make it worth it.”
His smile deepens, and I can feel the weight of everything unsaid between us, but for the first time, it doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a promise.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I know one thing for sure: whatever this is, I want to see where it goes.
