Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 571(@200wpm)___ 457(@250wpm)___ 381(@300wpm)
“Please leave,” he croaked. “You’ll never see me again, I promise. I’m sorry for everything I did. Please go.”
Fuck.
I swallowed hard and forced myself not to run over to him. Leaving was the last thing I was gonna do, but we weren’t at the “there, there” portion of the evening yet either. So I stayed put, and I acted like his evident sorrow wasn’t a crushing blow straight to my fucking gut.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere, Lane.” I cleared my throat and tapped my foot restlessly. “I wanna know why you lied to me. I wanna know why you couldn’t tell me the truth—why I had to send your photo to my daughter and ask if she recognized you.”
“Oh God.” He gave up on composure and let out a sob into his hands. “I panicked. I know it was all wrong—I don’t wanna talk about it. Please just go.”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “Panic settles. You chose to keep lying—and more than that, you slept with me. The whole fuckin’ week, we were attached at the hip, all while you knew I was—”
“You don’t have to say it,” he cried. “Please don’t say another word, Ty. I know I fucked up. I know what I should’ve done. And I didn’t—because I’m pathetic and had all these feelings from years ago, and I saw my only shot at being with you. Can we just…ugh.” He got so upset that he couldn’t speak, and he stormed out of the room.
I was stuck on that one thing he’d said.
He’d seen his only shot at being with me?
All these feelings from years ago.
Before I knew it, I was out of the chair and chasing after him.
His only shot at being with me.
All these feelings from years ago.
That was how I’d caught him off guard the first time. I had something to do with his breaking up with Marina.
The living room came up empty, but I heard muffled sounds from the kitchen, so I continued straight ahead and eventually found him crying into his hands at the kitchen table.
I grabbed the chair across from him and positioned it next to his. Then I sat down and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him as close to me as I could.
He said nothing, and I said nothing. I just held him while he broke down.
Now would’ve been a great time for my old memories to magically return. Never before had I wished I remembered meeting Lane as much as I did now. I wanted to analyze every second of our initial meeting, when Marina introduced her boyfriend to me. She’d said I’d been in the middle of cleaning Tank’s terrarium…? Who knew how distracted I’d been. I got caught up sometimes, to the point where everything around me faded away.
What I did remember was the awful, awful time as a young teenager. With hormones and feelings raging, your voice changing, your sexual preferences starting to make themselves known, all the confusion and short fuses.
Lane hiccupped around a low sob and wiped at his cheeks. “I s-swear I didn’t betray her. Soon as I accepted I was gay, I broke things off. I wasn’t a dick to her, I p-promise.”
That…hadn’t even crossed my mind, that he’d disrespected her somehow. I was more concerned about calming him down. His breathing was choppy, and he was trembling a lot.
“I didn’t think you were.” I shushed him and pressed my lips to the top of his head. “Take a deep breath, La—”
“It was so humiliating,” he wept. “It felt like someone knocked m-me over when I s-saw you. When she introduced us.”
Christ.
I tightened my hold on him and said nothing else. Perhaps he needed to get it out. I had no clue.
As flattering as it was to think I’d played a part in Lane’s self-discovery, it had nothing on the sympathy I felt.
When Lane once again swore he hadn’t mistreated Marina, it hit me that he was viewing me primarily as her dad now. He probably had my dumb ramble about her taste in guys at the forefront of his mind, and that wouldn’t fucking do.
“Lane, I need you to listen carefully,” I said. “You’re not one of her loser exes. You hear me? Christ, I was just bitchin’. I wasn’t even thinkin’ about high school. Y’all were kids. And for the record, she remembers you fondly.”
I had no idea how she’d react when I told her I was a Florida Man, but that was a problem for another day.
Actually, knowing her, she’d laugh till she pissed herself.
The harder Lane cried, the more worried I got. I glanced around us and wondered if he needed something. He was on medication, right? He probably had anxiety meds too.
One thing was certain. Lane had carried this weight on his shoulders for far too long, and I wanted it off.