Page 43 of Rewrite Our Story

Cade stops, turning to face me. His eyes are ablaze with anger, all of that resentment aimed in my direction.

His fury doesn’t bother me because my own anger rivals his. He acted like a child in there, not making the already confusing situation we’ve found ourselves in any better.

"Where in the hell do you think you’re going?” he growls, his fingertips digging into my skin.

I wave my phone in the air, showing him my screen. “Getting a ride. I can’t be near you for another second. Not after the stunt you just pulled in front ofeveryonein there.”

His nostrils flare. “Like fuck you are. You’ve got a ride.Me.”

I roll my eyes, attempting to step out of his reach. He doesn’t allow it. It takes little effort for him to tug on my arm and bring my body right in front of his once again. Briefly, I glance over my shoulder to make sure we don’t have an audience. It was dumb for Cade to follow me out here in the first place after the suspicious looks that were pointed at us from all of our friends in the booth.

Pulling my phone to my face, I toss a glare in Cade’s direction. “Sorry, Cade, hate to break it to you, but right now, you’re the last person I want to be stuck in a car with.”

“Does it look like I care?” he answers gruffly. He must trust that I won’t go anywhere for the moment—or have confidence in his ability to catch me if I did try something—because he lets me out of his grip. I take a few steps backward, but don’t make a run for it yet.

“Why don’t you go back in there and enjoy your night?” I ask, basically pleading for him to leave me alone. Eventually, we’re going to have to talk about how big of a mistake it was for us to kiss, but it’s the last thing I want to do at the moment. I need time and space to think about what the fuck just happened.

His eyes widen slightly, like my words are completely ludicrous. “I can’t,” he answers through gritted teeth.

“Oh, so you’re incapable of turning around and going inside?”

“If you aren’t going with me, then yes.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “Cade, just go,” I beg. Looking down at my phone screen, I find the little car icon, showing me my ride will be here in eight minutes. “I’ve got a ride. We’ll talk tomorrow or whenever, maybe never,” I add under my breath.

“What the fuck happened?” he asks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Cade catches me off guard. I’d let my guard down for a fraction of a second, long enough for him to reach between us and pluck my phone from my grasp.

“Hey!” I yell, trying to swipe it back from him.

He holds it above his head, tapping the screen a few times before he slides my phone into the pocket of his jeans. “Looks like you no longer have a ride.” He nods his head in the direction of his truck.

“What the hell, Cade!”

The smirk he aims my way is infuriating. He gives not a single indication that he’s sorry for canceling my chance at getting some space from him. “Come on, Goldie. Time to go home so we can have the conversation you’re so clearly trying to avoid.”

“No.”

He adjusts the hat on his head, pinning me with his stare. “Fine. You won’t get in the car? We’ll have it here.” His arms cross over his chest. I have to stop myself from focusing on the ripple of the muscles on his forearms with the movement. I look at the noticeable vein that runs into the sleeve of his T-shirt, trying to remember the way it felt to have that arm draped over me the night of Linda’s funeral.

If he notices me gawking at him, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he angrily kicks at a loose piece of gravel while he clears his throat. “Tell me what the fuck happened earlier. What changed?”

Looking into Cade’s eyes, one word comes to mind as he stares back at me. Betrayal. I don’t know if he feels betrayed by himself for giving into the tension between us, or if he feels betrayed by me for stopping what we should’ve never begun. “It’s not about what has changed, it’s about what hasn’t.”

“The fact that there’s no use fighting our feelings for each other? I agree. We couldn’t fight them years ago, and I’ve given up on fighting them now. So good point, nothing’s changed. We can hate each other all we want. It doesn’t make denying one another any easier.”

I shake my head at him. “You know that’s not what I meant.” Before I can say anything else, the breeze picks up around us. My body shivers. I hadn’t expected to be out in the cold for long tonight so I hadn’t brought a coat. Now I regret it as goosebumps rise on my skin.

Cade uses the opportunity to grab me by the hand and roughly begins to pull me toward his truck. "You’re going to get in the damn truck so you stop shivering, and then we’re going to finish this conversation.”

I attempt to push the heels of my boots into the pavement, but it doesn’t work. He’s pulling too hard. I’m afraid if I pull against him too much that I’ll fall flat on my ass. He’d probably let me and find it hilarious if the rage in his eyes was any indication on his feelings toward me right now.

I slap at him with my free hand. “You can’t just leave your sister here alone,” I argue.

He grunts. “Leave her alone like you were going to? Pot fucking kettle, Goldie.”

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