“Right fucking now.”
“Where?” I ask, knowing we can’t discuss anything with all the distractions in this house.
“Let me take you for a ride. We can talk at the park.”
“I’m not leaving Ava.”
He frowns, then nods his agreement. “Okay. We’ll stay here and talk across the street where I parked my bike.”
“Fine,” I agree and turn to Ava. “You going to be okay? Want me to stay?” I will if she doesn’t feel comfortable.
“No, you go on. I need a drink.” She winks, pats my cheek, and leaves in search of alcohol.
She can handle herself. I don’t worry about Ava. Her brother takes her sparring nearly every week. I pity the idiot who tries to mess with her.
Gage guides me through the house until we’re outdoors. We stay silent until we reach his Harley. There’s no real privacy, but there’s also no one around. They’re all inside at the party.
“Start talking. Now.”
He sits on the seat and scratches the back of his neck as he faces me. “This won’t be easy to hear.”
Those words don’t alleviate any of the anxiety already starting to build, churning in my gut. “Just say it.”
He opens his mouth to reply when I shake my head.
“Wait. We need to go further back. I want to know,” I swallow, gathering my courage, “why you ignored me after that first night we spent together.” That one perfect night. Everything changed for multiple reasons, and it all originated back to that day. “Did you regret it?”
“Regret? Fuck no.”
He says it so fast that I know he isn’t lying.
“Then?” I ask, letting the question hang.
“Letty, I fucked up.”
I already knew that.
“I shouldn’t have spent that night with you, but I couldn’t stay away. Not after,” he pauses, frowns, and then turns his head to stare out into the street. “Not after that day in the cafeteria. Do you remember?”
Cafeteria? The lunch line?
He notices my confusion. “Fuck.” Gage sighs and reaches for my hand. “You bumped into me in line and knocked the food off my tray. I got pissed.”
Oh! I forgot all about it. I remember noticing his thunderous expression, but when he turned and saw me, he walked away without saying a word. “And?”
“I didn’t expect to look over and see a gorgeous girl with long brown hair and the prettiest blue eyes. It surprised me. I had to walk away because I didn’t want to cause a scene.”
Okay?
“And then I didn’t see you again for weeks. We didn’t share any classes. I planned to talk to you, but it didn’t happen until the Homecoming party.”
Yeah, I remember. So what? “You’re not making sense.”
“That’s when I knew.”
“Knew what?”
He looks like he’s struggling to answer, so I keep talking.
