Page 70 of Keep Me Safe

“What’s your name?” I ask softly.

“Amelia.”

“Give me your phone.”

She looks confused but hands it to me anyway. I go to contacts and create one for myself.

“Now you have my number. If you ever need anything or just want to talk, I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

Her friend shows up soon after, and I make sure she makes it to the car safely before returning to my hiding spot. I haven’t seen Jared in a while, which is typical, but I’m extra uncomfortable with this crowd of people now, and I’m tempted to try to find him. Before I can get up though, he appears in the doorway of the barn, a plastic cup in hand.

“Kira! I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’ve been here all night,” I tell him, noticing he’s a little more intoxicated than when he left.

Climbing up onto the hay bale with me, he sits down, leaning against the wall across from me.

“Are you having fun?” he asks.

I don’t have the heart to tell him no, that it’s actually the opposite of that. Instead I smile and reply with a small nod.

“Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you since earlier.”

My heart stops, my body tensing. It can’t be about Noah. There’s no way.

“There’s something I’ve really been wanting to tell you, but it’s hard to get myself to actually do it.”

“What’s up?” I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“I know we’ve been friends for a really long time, and you are probably one of the most important people in my life,” he starts. “But lately, I’ve been feeling like, well...”

“You’ve been feeling like what, Jared?”

“Kira,” he says, his green eyes locking on mine.

“I’m in love with you.”

chapter twenty

kira

I stop breathing. He must mean as a friend, right? We’re just friends. We’ve always been just friends.

“Jared—”

“I love you, Kira, and I have loved you for a really long time,” he says, his voice hoarse. He’s been drinking, but the look in his eyes is genuine, pleading. How do I respond to that? I love him to death, but not in the way I think he’s hoping.

Without warning, his hand reaches up to cup my face as he crashes his lips onto mine. It’s a sloppy kiss, his tongue pushing in through my lips. I can taste the alcohol on him, and it instantly turns my stomach. That familiar fear rises inside me, and my heart starts to race.

“Jared, wait,” I say, pushing him off me.

I steady my breathing, and his features quickly morph from confusion to pained realization.

“You don’t feel the same way?”

It’s more of a statement than a question. The hurt swirling in his eyes is evident, the alcohol enhancing the intensity of his emotions. I would do anything to make it go away.

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