"Well, whatever. He's also the man who bullied me relentlessly for years; I mean, three weeks ago, I still hated his guts. And even if he wasn't my mortal enemy, even if I started up something with him, I'm going to go back to San Francisco. And then what? Keep bumping into him every time I come back?"
"Or you can stay here?"
I snatched up the glass of cranberry juice and took a large gulp. I had heard this plea from her before.
"No. My area of expertise is needed in big cities. Even if I wanted to move back, I wouldn't find work here or in any of the surrounding towns that utilize my skills."
Her heavy sigh was wrapped in disappointment, even though my answer was expected. "Would a casual fling be so bad, then? He's always asked about you while you were away. I think he's always harbored a secret crush."
"That's the problem, Amelia. If he felt that way,secretis the keyword. He didn't have the guts to stop bullying me or to tell his friends to stop. So even if he did like me back then, he didn't have the balls to do anything about it."
Amelia's face dropped. She knew I was right.
"Besides." I tipped my glass towards the corner where our party was congregated.
"Looks like Jessica is eager for that fling. Shouldn't be too hard for him, considering their history."
Amelia glanced over just in time to catch Jessica leaning into Harrison to utter God knows what in his ear.
My stomach lurched.
Amelia simply snorted in dismissal. "They broke up not long after high school. If you can call whatever they had a relationship. She's been eager to sink her teeth back into him ever since." She turned back to me. "I've never seen him take the bait."
I shrugged, attempting to appear unbothered. "Let's not talk about it anymore. This is your night. And Liam, of course. Let's dance, this band is great!"
Amelia knew when to let sleeping dogs lie, so she simply grinned and let me drag her onto the dance floor. I sunk into the gyrating crowd, determined to avoid Harrison for the rest of the night.
CHAPTER 8
Twodayslater,Iwalked back into the school hall and cursed softly when I spied Harrison inside.
Alone.
I'd purposely arrived five minutes late so that I wouldn't have to make small talk with him. Where were James and Ruth?
"They're not coming," Harrison confirmed when he spotted me hesitating at the door. "Problem with the babysitter."
I twisted my hands together, annoyance blooming. "And you didn't want to cancel?"
"I think it's best if we chatted privately," he answered, his gaze heavy with some emotion. "I think you've been avoiding me."
"No shit," I breathed.
"Can we sit and chat? Then we can go over reunion stuff, I swear."
Well, what choice did I have?
"Sure," I reluctantly agreed as I strolled stiffly towards him. I sat with a displaced sigh and placed my hands on the table, interlocking my fingers so I wouldn't be tempted to fidget.
He regarded me with an omniscient stare. "I'm not going to apologize for our kiss," he bluntly started. "I'm not sorry; frankly, I would do it again if you'd let me."
My mouth dropped at his audacious confession. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
His firm mouth tightened as he eyed my rigid fingers. "I wanna be open and honest with you. I think you've had enough bullshitters in your life. Even though the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable."
Too late.
"So I will apologize if you are, and I promise Iwon'tbring it up again. You don't have to worry about me jumping your bones, no matter how much I want to."
