Rhett and I instantly broke apart, taking multiple steps away from each other. I couldn’t believe I let him kiss me. I was with someone else, and I sure as heck wasn’t a cheater.
Another moment later, Hattie came crashing down onto the shore. “Hey guys, want to go for a swim?” she asked excitedly.
“No,” we both replied at the same time. Our eyes locked, and his expression told me he wanted to do that again. But I couldn’t let that happen.
“I think Mom was looking for you—said something about needing your help,” Savannah said to Rhett as she came through the trees.
“Okay.” He turned to me. “Umm—did you want to walk up to the house with me?”
“I… no, it’s fine. I think I’ll stay down here with Savannah and Hattie.” I saw a flash of disappointment on his face before he nodded and turned to head up to the house.
I sat on the shore for about an hour, replaying that kiss in my head. Truth be told, I still wasn’t sure how I felt, other than scared by the way he made me feel with just a touch of his lips.
But what I did know was that things needed to end with Caden. I had wanted Rhett to kiss me in that moment—frankly; I didn’t want him to stop.
But none of that mattered because what I kept coming back to, what I knew for sure, was that I didn’t want to do a long-distance relationship. Rhett would go back to college in the fall, and I had my top choices narrowed down. Anything with Rhett would be serious, and it was stupid to try to start things with him at a point when we would be miles away from each other.
And Caden? He had no plans to ever leave this town. Even though I knew what I needed to do, I hated that I would lose his friendship in the end.
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Rhett come up behind me until he spoke. “So… about that kiss,” he said while sitting down beside me.
“I don’t want things to change between us,” I admitted with a sidelong glance. I had to be honest with him and hope he agreed.
“I don’t either—but one day, I’d like to do that again—minus the interruption.”
I raised one eyebrow as I took in the smirk on his face and tease in his voice.
“Maybe one day I’ll let you,” I teased back, feeling genuinely happy and at peace for the first time in a while.
Two days later, I was sitting in the local coffee shop. I wrung my hands and shifted in my seat as I sat nervously waiting for Caden. I had to do this. In my heart, I knew it was the right thing. But I wasn’t sure how he would respond. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him.
Although a lot of people thought Caden was an ass, the fact that we had both lost our moms had bonded us. It was something we could both relate to and one reason that had helped initiate our relationship last fall.
“Hey, beautiful,” Caden said as he approached.
I’m pretty sure I mumbled ahey. But when he leaned over to kiss me, I turned my head automatically so he caught the corner of my mouth. I squeezed my eyes closed. I didn’t feel right letting him kiss me if I was going to end things with him. And I could feel he sensed something was different, wrong.
Crap. No easing into this, I guess.
Caden’s spine straightened like he knew what was coming, and he was bracing for the fight. His eyes filled with something akin to contempt. It was just another reason I should end it. He’d never raised a hand to me and had always treated me with respect. But I could feel it. Something always simmered below the surface; his mood swings were always unpredictable. That feeling that something lurked below the surface outweighed what initially brought us together.
He took his seat with an air of casualness that was about as controlled as his smile.
Well, this is going great already.
“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” His tone had a sharp edge to it.
“Caden…” I reached for my mom’s necklace for strength. “I care about you. I just—need some time apart. You know my dad is planning to move us to Asheville.…” He didn’t need to know the solution my dad agreed on today that would allow me to stay here and finish out my senior year. He would find out eventually.
“Are you screwing around with someone else?”
“Seriously?” I started to stand, but he stopped me by gripping my wrist, almost forcing me back down and into my seat.
“I’m sorry—this just came out of left field.”
“It’s fine,” I lied. “I’m not sure what else to say. I just need space right now.”
“Right.” Caden’s grip tightened slightly on my wrist but loosened when I tried to pull my hand back. We sat there in silence for another minute or two. I wasn’t sure if I should speak or let him process, but he beat me to it. “Well, I better get going. I can tell your mind is made up, so there’s no point in staying here any longer. See you around, Bella.” He rushed the words out as he stood.