Page 27 of Connected By Stars
“Hey, sis, you’re up.” Noah grins at me as I come over to sit down.
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I must have been more tired than I thought. Did you guys have fun last night?”
“We did. Emma was so happy with how it turned out. I admit, I got a little scared at dinner the other night when Mav and Skye were laughing together, but they did a great job.”
“You guys deserve it. I can’t believe you’ll be married soon. Before you know it, you’ll be starting a family.”
“One thing at a time, but yeah, I’m excited for it all.” He looks at me closely. “Is everything okay? You seem a little down this morning.”
“I’m good. I’m probably still tired.” I don’t want him to worry about me or dig deeper into anything. All he needs to be focused on right now is his wedding.
Noah looks up behind me and smiles. Maverick walks in wearing sunglasses and takes the open seat next to me at the table, setting his phone on the table.
“Rough night?” Cole asks, laughing at Maverick.
“You could say that. My head hurts like a mother fucker.” He pours some orange juice and takes a big swallow.
“How was Joe’s?” Sophia asks.
“Fine. I just had one too many bourbons.”
I avoid looking at him and concentrate on putting food on my plate. I stick with one pancake and strawberries. I don’t think my stomach could handle the bacon grease right now.
Everyone eats while we discuss what the plans are for today. Skye and Cole leave in the morning, so today is their last full day here. We planned on taking the jet skis out and boating, but with the sky looking the way it is, we may have to be indoors.
Since everyone is exhausted from the last two days, wedecide to hang out here by the pool until the rain comes and go from there. What I really want is to curl up in my bed by myself so I can be alone with my feelings, but I know I need to stay and socialize before Skye and Cole leave.
Maverick’s phone dings on the table next to Sophia, and she glances down.
“Oooh, what have we here? Sara says you left your ID in her car last night and wants to know if she should drop it off at your house later.” My stomach drops as I grip the fork in my hand. Sophia laughs as Maverick tries to take the phone away from her. Another message comes through. “Holy shit! She also said she’s looking forward to the wedding and thanked you again for going with her next weekend.”
I drop my fork, and it loudly clatters on my plate. Everyone turns to look at me. “Sorry, it slipped,” I mumble. I take a drink of orange juice, hoping my hands aren’t visibly shaking.
“Give me the damn phone.” He takes it and throws it back on the table. “So much for privacy around here.” He glares at Sophia.
“Where are you going next weekend?” I turn to look at Sophia, willing her to stop. I don’t want to know any details.
“She has a work party and asked me to go last night,” he sighs.
“She must be pretty special. You usually don’t do dates, and now you have two on your calendar after only one night. I can’t wait to meet her at the wedding.” Sophia grins at Mav and takes a bite of her pancake.
“It’s not like that.” He throws his sunglasses on the table and rubs his hands over his face. “Look, I’m not getting into it right now. You can think what you want.” He glances at me, and I avoid his eye contact. Suddenly feeling hot, I rub the ache in my chest. It’s not that Maverick can’t do more—it’s just that hedoesn’t want more with me. I stand up and mumble about having to go to the bathroom.
I lock the door and sag against it, blinking back the tears. God, why does this hurt so bad? Thoughts fly through my head, and I try to catch my breath. He was with Sara last night, and now they have two dates planned. Is this why he told me to go with Logan because he wants to see where this goes with Sara? I thought he was fighting his feelings for me because he was afraid of hurting me and of Noah finding out, but it was all an excuse. He never intended for it to go any further.
I wipe my eyes and wonder how many times over the years I have cried over this man. I need to move forward and forget that we can ever be more. I physically and mentally can’t do it one second longer. I’ve created this whole fantasy in my mind that it was fate that he was my brother’s best friend and that we got to grow up together. That he was brought into my life for a reason, and one day, when the timing was right, he would look my way, and I would see him look at me the same way I’ve looked at him for years. It was all a lie, though. Some made-up story in my head that I have wasted years believing would come true.
I take a deep breath to collect myself before opening the door. I see Maverick leaning against the wall when I come out. He looks up and steps toward me.
“Please don’t. I don’t want to hear any excuses or explanations. I have to go back out there and pretend nothing has happened the last few days. You were right from the beginning. You could never give me what I need.”
“It’s not what you think. I can’t get into it right now because we don’t have the time, and everyone will start looking for us, but nothing happened, I swear. I’ll explain it all later.” His eyes plead with mine.
“So you guys are what? Friends? You’ve never even kissed?”I stare at him as he shifts uncomfortably. The guilt on his face says it all. I start to walk away.
“Damn it, Bell, I want to explain.” He grabs my arm as I go by. I look up at him and see him struggling with the words.
“You don’t have to say anything. The guilt on your face tells me all I need to know.” I jerk my arm from his grasp and leave him standing there.
