Page 53 of Bad Kind of Love

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Becca

After the visit with my dad, I made the dreadful drive to work. I haven’t spoken to Wes since our kiss, and right now, my heart was on the brink of exploding from nerves. Ignoring his calls and texts was beginning to feel like a bad idea as I pulled into the parking lot. I knew he was probably pissed and even upset, but I had no idea what to say to him after last night. What if he ended up regretting our kiss? Our friendship would never be the same after that, and the thought terrified me.

Staring blankly at the digital clock on my dashboard, I waited till the very last minute before stepping out of the car and walking into Cool Times. With sweaty palms, I opened the door.

I noticed Wes standing behind the counter, staring down at his phone when he peered up and locked eyes with me.

“Jesus Becca, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.” He sets his phone down before jumping his body over the counter to stop in front of me. Worry spread across his features and I couldn’t help but feel at fault. His hair appeared a little messier than normal, and his eyes carried bags underneath them.

“I know.” I nod, dropping my stare to the floor.

“You know?” He scoffs. “Why are you ignoring me?” The hurt is evident in his voice, but I couldn’t find myself to lift my head.

“I don’t know. I just...”

“Was it my dad?” His rough tone causes me to jump. “The kiss?”

Exhaling, I bite down on my lower lip, trying to formulate in my head on what to say to him. This whole situation was a mess, a complete clusterfuck, and every bit of it was my fault.

“God dammit, Becca, just talk to me.” His voice softens and I feel his hand brush against mine, trying to soothe me. I let his fingers slip through mine and I felt as though I could breathe again.

“I just needed space is all.” I admit, finally bringing myself to lift my head. His aqua eyes traced over my face, lingering over my mouth like he wanted another taste.

“I’m sorry about him. My dad.” He drops my hand and combs his fingers through his sandy mane. “I don’t know what his deal was last night…”

I did. I knew it the minute his hateful stare connected with mine.

“It’s fine.” I reassure.

“With everything that happened last night, I just don’t want to ruin our friendship. Let’s just start over.”

Was he saying what I think he was trying to say? Did he regret our kiss?

His words hurt more than I thought they would. The sinking feeling in my chest felt as though I had cement blocks tied to my feet and I was drowning with no way out. My breathing slowed as I briskly started walking past him.

“Becca.” He calls out, stopping me before I could get any further. “I know what you're thinking, and it’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?” Instead of brushing it off, I turn to face him head on. He notices the pain in my voice and tries reaching for my hand again, but I instantly recoil.

“I like you.” He admits and my heart starts fluttering back to life. “I just… last night wasn’t how I wanted our first kiss to go. I imagined it differently.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, and I can’t help but smile at his bashfulness.

“It wasn’t that bad.” I chuckle. “I’ve definitely had worse first kisses.”

As his face lifts, grinning ear to ear, I’m found struck by his beauty. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he chose me. I wasn’t anything special, if anything, I was the girl he should avoid. But I was selfish for his friendship, and for anything he was willing to give me.

“As much as I’d love to hear about the guys you kissed...” He jokes. “Something funky is going on with the freezer and I really don’t want to call Jerry.”

******

As the day went on, everything seemingly went back to normal. Wes continued to be his playful charming self, while I struggled with forgetting last night's affairs. specifically the unwanted dream of Mr. Fitz. No matter where I went, or what I was doing, he always seemed to pop up and ruin everything.

He was a nuisance in my head, but the minute I was in his presence, it was like a switch went off. I wanted to know everything there was to know about him, even if he ended up despising me even more because of it.

Mr. Fitz was the worst kind of obsession, and sadly, I couldn’t get enough.

“We’re good right?” Wes asks, interrupting my thoughts as we began our closing procedures.

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