Page 58 of Rebel Romeo

I’d been called a lot of things by women. Sexy. Naughty. Polite. Chivalrous. Rugged. Obnoxious. Brooding. Those were all adjectives I was used to hearing.

But sweet? Not so much.

“Besides,” she continued. “Do I really strike you as the kind of girl who’s won over with presents?”

“You strike me as the kind of girl who appreciates gestures!”

“Gestures are empty without admission of feelings. And maybe instead of focusing on my forgiveness, you should focus on earning back my trust! Because that’s what you lost.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to lose your trust. I don’t want… I don’t want to lose you,” I admitted, barely able to get the words out.

“What changed?” She examined me, her eyes narrowing as they swept over my face. “I thought you didn’t want to want me? I thought you didn’t care? Too cool Holden, star of the football team?—”

“Of course I care,” I cut her off. “I’ve never not cared about you.” In fact, I cared too fucking much. That was the problem. My throat burned. “I like you, Katherine. I like you so much that sometimes the only way I can fall asleep is if I imagine you’re in bed next to me. I like you so much that I’ve stopped caring about football because it keeps me away from you. I like you so much that I wouldn’t eat another goddamn shrimp as long as I live because you’re deathly allergic to them! And I love shellfish, Katherine. I fucking love them.”

I heaved a breath, clamping my hands to my hips and looking at the ground. “You’re brave and smart and you don’t give a shit what people think of you. You’re a far better person than me and you hit the nail on the head. Because I don’t want to like you. I don’t want to want you. But I do. And it terrifies me. And if I’m being honest, I don’t know that I can ever get to a place where I feel deserving of your attention. I probably don’t deserve your forgiveness either, but I’m trying. I’m really trying, Katherine.”

My voice cracked on that last thought and I shook my head, ignoring the embarrassing heat rising to my face. If my dad saw this fucking display, he would have kicked my ass. Dorsey men don’t grovel.

“Okay,” Katherine said quietly.

I jerked my gaze up to hers. “Okay?”

Her big blue eyes were wet and staring at me. Then, she smiled. She fucking smiled and in that moment it was like the sun shone brighter, splitting through the clouds. All my embarrassment vanished. My dad’s voice in my head—poof—gone.

Because that smile was the only thing that fucking mattered.

“Okay, I forgive you,” she said. “As for the trust thing? Jury’s still out.”

A flare of triumph buzzed across my nerves and distantly, I registered the sound of Doug leaving, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

“I can live with that,” I said. “As long as you think there’s still hope for me earning it back.”

She gave a single head nod. “Although, I think you need to revoke your a-hole card after that little speech you gave. Admit it, Dorsey. You’re just a big ‘ol softie.”

I groaned and as my head fell back, sunlight warmed my closed eyelids. “Hardly.”

“Yep. Admit it. You’re officially sweet.”

“I can be both an asshole and sweet. I’m a multi-tasker.”

“No you can’t. You can’t be a sweet a-hole. Those two things can’t exist at once.”

“You know,” I stepped forward, slinging my arm around her shoulders to turn and walk her to class. There was no hope for me in getting across campus in time for my class, but she could still make hers. “At the risk of giving you a toothache, I was going to suggest that we should probably watch Romeo and Juliet soon. Before our rehearsal this weekend?”

Her eyes went wide and she bounced on her toes, clapping her hands together in excitement! “Oh! You’re not going to regret it! Seeing the material done by Baz Luhrmann will change your life!”

“Great. I’ll come by after football practice Thursday night.”

Then with a tilt of her head, Katherine suddenly grew serious.“You didn’t answer me before. What changed?”

I pressed my lips together before answering. “Me. I’ve changed.” Then, leaning in, I brushed my fingers across her cheekbone and tucked her stray blonde hair behind her ear. “You’re changing me, Katherine.”

There was so much more I wanted to say. That she deserved so much better than anything I could offer her. And yet, she was the first girl in years that I wanted to try with.

The words lodged in my throat as visions of Megan, of our freshman year, flooded my thoughts.

I winced, looking away.

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