Page 56 of Fake Engaged to the Enemy

“I love you, Catherine. I’ve always loved you. From the first moment I saw you, I knew I’d always love you. Why do you think I kissed you when you asked in high school?”

“Because you felt sorry for me.”

I shake my head emphatically. “I never felt sorry for you, Catherine. I’ve always admired you. You were the person who pushed me the most. The person I wanted to impress. I never would have gotten to where I’m at now if I hadn’t constantly thought that Catherine Hart would do better.”

Catherine steps back from me. “You’re only saying this because things are crazy emotional right now. It’s not real.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea about my own feelings,” I tell her.

“That’s not… George, this can’t happen,” she says desperately. “I can’t live in Sandburrow. I don’t want to live in Sandburrow. You belong here. You’re happy here. I’m not. I need to go back to real life.”

I gesture around us. “Is this all fake to you? This house? Me?”

She takes off her ring and holds it up. “This is.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

Catherine puts the ring on the porch railing, staring hard at it. “That’s just the thing, George. It does have to be. What are you promising me?”

“Love.”

“That’s the problem.” She throws back her shoulders and looks me square in the eye. “I don’t want to be loved.”

I step back. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“But—"

“I have to go.” Catherine hurries away. She doesn’t even look back as she jumps into her car.

I’m left standing on my porch, confusion swirling through me. What just happened?

It was a risk to share my feelings, I knew that going in. But I didn’t expect her to react like that.I don’t want to be loved.What does she mean by that?

The beach house seems even more dilapidated and empty with Catherine’s departure.

Things had been going so well.

We’d come back to friendly terms after years of being distant. Now I feel the same way I did on graduation day.

My best friend is driving away. And this time, I wasn’t sure if she’d ever be back.

I messed up.

And I don’t know if I can ever fix it.

Chapter sixteen

Catherine

Ginny looks unaffected when I tell her about my job and apartment hunting.

“That’s too bad that you won’t be able to stick around,” she says. “But I suppose I’ll just have to deal with things the way I always did.”

“I’m not sure when I’ll be leaving, but I’ll be around to finish off everything for the fiftieth anniversary,” I say.

Ginny nods. “Ah, that’s good. Thank you.”

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