Page 82 of Clichés & Curses

‘I don’t necessarily think that’s true.’

I snorted. ‘Tell that to the whole sports romance genre.’

‘Wait,’ he then said, his open palm hanging in the air. ‘So let me get this straight. The reason why you can’t go on a date with me is because I’m the star athlete?’ he asked. I could tell by the tone of his voice how idiotic he found it to be.

‘Look, I know it sounds stupid. But—’

‘You were the last person I thought to see me as just a star athlete, Clara,’ Colton admitted.

I snapped my head toward him, seeing his face looking down on the grass, avoiding my gaze.

‘I don’t just see you as a star athlete,’ I said. ‘You don’t really think that, do you?’

‘Really?’ he scoffed. ‘Because from what you’re telling me, the reason you can’t go on a date with me is solely based on the fact that I’m a star athlete, which just so happens to be one of the traits of a cliché love interest.’

That’s not what I’m doing. Right?

‘Colton, you don’t understand,’ I said, exasperated.

‘Then, make me understand.’

‘My mom and sister fell in love with cliché love interests too, okay?’ I blurted out. ‘And you know how their relationship ended? My parents got divorced, and my sister called off her engagement. Maybe it sounds ridiculous to you, but I just can’t help but think that my family might be cursed, that maybe we’re just not meant to be with these cliché love interests. And I just won’t doom myself the way they did. I just can’t, Colton.’

Colton was silent as minutes—or maybe it was just seconds—flew by, the words I just said dangling in the air between us. I darted my eyes away from him, trying to think of something, anything to say that could dissolve this unwanted tension away from us. But Colton beat me to it.

‘You’re being really unfair right now.’

I braved myself to face him, only to find him looking ahead, instead of at me. ‘What do you mean?’

He took a deep breath before he turned to me, his eyes on mine. ‘You’re being unfair to me by already making up your mind about me without even giving me a chance. Heck, you’re not even being fair to yourself for not even trying to see what this whole thing between us could lead to.’

I shook my head. ‘That’s not true.’

‘But it is, and you know it is,’ Colton said, his tone firm. ‘Clara, you can’t let the outcome of other people’s relationships define your own potential relationship with other people. It isn’t fair for anyone—even if the relationship is the one between your own parents or your sister’s. But that’s just an excuse for the real reason, isn’t it?’

I just stayed quiet, unsure of what to say.

‘You’re scared,’ Colton continued, his firm tone turning soft. ‘Of whatever this is.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I said, quickly brushing him off.

‘You know exactly what I’m talking about, and it doesn’t have anything to do with clichés and curses. Maybe I’m getting over my head here, but I think you like me too. But you’re scared. You’re scared because you don’t know how this will play out; it isn’t something you can just read about, knowing it’ll end well. You love to read about it, but you’re scared to actually do it, to actually pursue something with a person,’ Colton explained. ‘But Clara, you can’t let that hold you back forever.’

‘That’s not what this is,’ I replied, my tone defensive. ‘Just because I don’t want to pursue something with you, doesn’t mean I don’t want to pursue it with somebody else.’

He arched a brow at me. ‘But you won’t date me because I’m a cliché love interest. And falling in love with one is a curse?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then, answer me this. Would you go on a date with me if I wasn’t a star athlete? If I was just a normal college student that asked you out. Would you have said yes?’

There it was, the same question Eliza had asked me, not too long ago—the question my head often went to, whenever the idea of being with Colton came to mind.

But just like what I told Eliza, I answered him the same way.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ I told him, my voice a faint whisper. ‘Because youarea star athlete, a cliché love interest. And I won’t allow myself to tempt the curse, not with you.’

A look of hurt flashed over Colton’s features, but he quickly masked it away. Giving me a nod, he said, ‘Good to know.’

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