Page 24 of Scoring with my Bestie's Ex

“Why so serious?” Ellen asks. “It’s not like you already have a boyfriend.”

She’s still teasing, but her words hit harder than anticipated.

How long has it been since I officially ended my relationship with Steven?

How long ago was it when I thought I was getting married?

Oh, this is all happening way too fast! We haven’t been in Castleton very long. We’ve been staying with Mike and Aaron for only a few days.

Do I really know him? No! I sort of knew him while he was dating Ellen, years ago! I didn’t even know the sort of guy he was back then, let alone now.

Yes, he’s been kind and attentive. But that doesn’t mean anything. Anyone can wear a mask for a few days.

“Bella?” Ellen grabs my hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not ready for this,” I murmur. My heart pounding in my ears. “I’m not ready for everything that comes with this.”

“Bella, you don’t have any commitments. You don’t have anything that comes with this, except your own feelings.”

I shake my head hard. “No. That’s not true at all. There’s Aaron’s feelings, too.”

Ellen opens her mouth but closes it again, apparently at a loss for words.

I rub my hands over my face, playing back all the conversations I’ve had with Aaron. Were we flirting? I feel like we were at some points.

The point is, it’s all gone far too quickly. I’m not prepared to move on just yet.

Oh, I don’t love Steven. I haven’t for a while. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to love someone else. I’m not ready to commit.

“I need time,” I whisper. “I need time to heal myself. To figure out what I want. Any relationship I start right now is only going to end up hurting someone.”

Ellen squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry. I won’t tease you anymore.”

“No, I needed to hear it,” I tell her. “I needed to face what is developing here. Before things go any further.”

Even though it hurts to admit, I’ve already let things go too far.

For Aaron’s sake as well as mine, I need to put the brakes on this relationship.

Chapter ten

Aaron

The air is crisp and clear. My feet pound against the paved trail, splashing through puddles left by last night’s rain.

Mike jogs next to me. Normally, he isn’t much of a morning person, but I managed to convince him to wake early for a morning run. Though there’s the barn dance tonight, we don’t have much to do today otherwise.

I figure getting up early and then taking a nap mid-afternoon means we’ll all be ready to dance the night away.

We slow to a stop as we reach the mile marker indicating we’re almost back to the cabin.

“Can I ask you something personal?” Mike watches a seagull overhead.

I smirk. “About Ellen?”

“No, about your mother.”

I shove Mike’s shoulder. “Not cool.”

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