Page 67 of Promise Not To Fall

“You want it to be true?” she asks, bringing her second glass of wine to her lips.

“What?”

“You trying to tell yourself you don’t mean anything to him. You’re trying to convince yourself he doesn’t mean anything to you either.”

“Yes, I want it to be true.” I sigh, the weight of my ignorance building in my chest. With my elbows on the table, my hands brush over my neck, and I’m reminded, yet again, that I miss him. “I didn’t come here to fall in love with someone after just a few days,” I say, my voice shaking. “It’s not like I can actually leave here and make it work, you know?”

“But you could,” she points out, dipping her head to catch my eyes. “You can do your job anywhere you want.”

I know that. I don’t want this to be about me though. Rylee needs me at the moment, and maybe it’s by design that she wants to talk about me instead of her. I’m not sure. I set my wine down and look at her reaching for a piece of bread in the middle of the table. “Are you okay?”

A tearful smile takes over, her lips pressing into a tight smile as she twirls her fork in her pasta. “To be honest, it didn’t hit me until that chick said those things. I felt like that Amara girl. I did. I’ve only ever been with Wesley. I was a virgin when we met, and everything just sort of happened so fast. He’s been the love of my life, and I never imagined anything different.”

I can totally understand why Rylee would feel this way. It isn’t like I don’t understand how Amara felt either. But my concern is Jake in that situation. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him having her do that.

Rylee draws in a deep breath, her eyes on the ocean to our right as we finish our meal. “I cried the entire time I was with that guy at the bar. He probably thought I was some crazy person, and he kept asking if he was hurting me.” She laughs, her hand covering her mouth. “He was so sweet and nice, and it was probably the worst experience he’d ever had.”

I know she’s talking about Nash and know enough about Surfer Boy to know that probably isn’t true.

“You’re a beautiful soul, Rylee.” I try to convey that through my sincerity, through my words and eyes. “Too beautiful for someone like Wesley.”

“I know. It just hurts. I should have left him sooner,” she admits solemnly, lowering her voice. “Deep down, I know he’s cheated on me before. You always know these kind of things.”

I’ve never wanted to take away someone’s sadness as much as I do now.

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