“I know she’s stubborn,” I said carefully, working hard to keep my jaw from grinding. “But I’m more stubborn than she is, and she doesn’thateme.”
I knew Elle better than anyone else, and I knew the only thing she hated was the fact that she still wanted me.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Gordon said, chuckling softly.
* * *
Gordon and Tommy’s words rumbled around inside my brain, echoing like a freight train in a tunnel for the rest of the afternoon. I couldn’t help but watch her from afar as she splashed around with Aiden and Tessa, torturing myself with doubts and insecurities. I wanted to grab the beer bottle from Tommy’s stupid hand and toss it back, put a stop to all the nonsense roaring around in my head, but I resisted.
When dusk fell, everyone started to get their stuff together to leave. It was almost time for the community bonfire, and nobody in town missed that event. By that point, my shorts and t-shirt had dried completely in the stifling summer heat. That’s the benefit of wearing all black. The downfall is that the horse flies are drawn to the colour black. I grew up in the bush, and horse fly bites barely phased me anymore.
Elle’s clothes were still damp, and I knew she’d get cold if she wore them to the bonfire. “Want a lift home?” I offered, gesturing to my truck.
She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment, her teeth sinking in to the plump soft pink flesh, and all of my blood immediately started to travel south.
“I’ve got some spare clothes in the cabin if you want to borrow something?” Tessa suggested, probably to make up for having ditched her with me on the trail earlier. She shrugged at me apologetically when Elle wasn’t looking.
“Thanks Tessa.” She smiled with relief that cut into me more than I cared to admit. I watched her follow Tessa up to the house, the doubt consuming me. I knew Elle wanted me, I knew she was warring with herself about it, but for the first time…I couldn’t help but wonder if that stubborn determination of hers would win out.
I stomped over to the cab of my truck, reaching through the open window to grab my pack of smokes from the cup holder. Smoking was a dirty habit, but it gave my hands and mouth something to do when the thirst got to be too much for me to handle.
In that moment, it was too much to handle. I turned around and leaned against the door, my gaze lifting towards the cabin.
I tapped the bottom of the pack against the palm of my hand and watched as Elle moved in front of the large master bedroom window. She paused in front of it and looked outside. It was almost like she was looking straight into my soul. I drew in a breath, pulling a cigarette out and holding it between my lips, my eyes still locked on her for several long moments.
The sound of boots on gravel had me turning my head to watch Ezra walk up, his hands in his pockets. He came to stand beside me, leaning up against the side of my truck. By the time I looked back up to the cabin, Elle had closed the curtains and moved away from the window.
“I hope you’re not still pissed about what Gordon and Tommy said. Those two are clueless when it comes to women,” he told me, puffing out a small laugh as he stared over at our friends. Gordon, Tommy, and the girls they brought were standing beside Gordon’s truck. “Just look at them. Gordon can’t make a relationship last past the three-month mark and Tommy doesn’t even know what’s in front of him.”
“What do you mean?” I squinted, looking at the girl standing in front of Tommy. She had hair a few shades lighter than Elle’s, all of it piled under a Blue Jays cap. Her face was makeup free and she gazed at him with hopeful eyes.
“She looks at him like he’s a god. She’s super sweet, too, she’s just not his usual type, so all he sees is a friend.”
“What’s your point?” I grumbled, irritated.
“I already made it,” Ezra said, flashing me a toothy smile. “Don’t listen to Tommy or Gordon. I don’t think for one minute that what you have with Elle is a lost cause. I see the way she looks at you. That girl is still in love with you, no matter what she’s telling herself. She always has been.”
Ezra had always been the smarter one. We spent every day together through middle school and high school. He always had my back and I always had his, without question. I knew he wouldn’t give me anything but the truth.
Grunting, I nodded once. I tried to leave it at that, but Ezra looked like he was waiting for me to say something. I brought my hand up to scratch at the back of my head. “Well, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Krista,” I gestured over my shoulder. Ezra followed my gaze, and he smiled wistfully. He’d had a thing for Krista longer than I could remember, but he was too sweet and trigger shy to do anything about it.
“The girls who stay around here dream about guys who aren’t from here,” he shrugged. “She wants new and exciting, not an old friend.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Sorry man,” I told him, feeling bad. “She might change her mind one day.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. I opened my mouth again, searching for something else to say, when my gaze was drawn back up to the cabin as the door opened. Tessa and Elle piled out, both dressed in tight jeans, tank tops, and plaid long sleeve shirts left unbuttoned. Tessa was in blue, and Elle was in red.
I had always loved it when Elle wore red. It made her cream-coloured skin all the creamier, and the dark brunette ringlets that hung down her back seemed richer. She was beautiful, the kind of beautiful that took your breath away and made you believe in something almighty.
“Let’s try and take as few vehicles as we can since parking will be ridiculous as always,” Tessa suggested as they came to a stop in front of us.
Tommy, Samantha and Annaka ended up going with Gordon while Grady, Paige, and Peter rode in Grady’s truck. Travis hopped into the front seat of Becky’s car, and I ended up sitting in the backseat cab of Brock’s truck with Elle and Krista wedged beside me and Ezra.
We pulled into the jammed parking lot of the fairgrounds. It took Brock nearly ten minutes to find a parking spot, and when he finally did, Elle cursed loudly.
