Page 136 of Counter Bet

“You bet.” He clears his throat. “Promise me you’ll be careful with Ben, alright? You know I support you no matter what. I just don’t want to see you so broken again.”

“You have my word.” I scan the empty park. “I’ll speak to you soon.”

We hang up. I pocket my phone and sit down on the nearest bench to strap on protective pads and my helmet.

It’s not the biggest park, but it has a vert ramp. I’ll probably break a leg or two if I go on it, but that won’t stop me from trying.

I stand up and put the skateboard down. Then kick off with my foot, sticking to even ground for now. It doesn’t take me long to get back into it.

I’m on a mission to master an ollie, which I’m failing miserably at when I spot someone watching me from the sidelines.

I remove the helmet and wipe beads of sweat off my forehead.

Dallas is sitting on one of the benches.

My heart lurches in my chest. I take her in. Her raven hair moves in the wind and gets stuck in her lipgloss, but she makes no move to brush it from her face as she sits watching me with her hands in her pockets. Her skateboard lies forgotten by her feet, so she must have had the same idea as me.

I abandon my skateboard and make my way over to her.

Dallas flashes a small, tentative smile before removing her hands from her pockets. She leans forward, gripping the edge of the bench, peering up at me from beneath long, wispy lashes.

I swallow thickly, running my eyes over her beautiful face. Did Ben tell her that I chased him down in the hallway earlier today?

“Tell me a secret,” she whispers low and smooth, taking me off guard.

Is this a test?

I worry my bottom lip and search her blue eyes as I take a moment to gather my thoughts. Dallas waits patiently for me to speak, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“I put on a brave face, pretending to have moved on, but the truth is—I’m still in love with you and Ben.”

Dallas ducks her head, hiding her expression. She toes the tarmac with her sneaker and asks in a quiet but hopeful voice, “Do you mean it?”

“Yes. I mean it.” My eyes brim with unshed tears. I fidget with the sleeves of my thick jumper. “Tell me a happy memory.” My voice is barely above a whisper.

She brushes away tears of her own and stares at something in the distance.

I hold my breath as I wait.

“I fell in love with a girl once. When we watched movies together, she used to lie with her head in my lap, and I remember stroking my fingers through her blonde hair, wondering how I got so lucky.” She looks down at her hands as if she can physically remember the feel of my hair between her fingers. “I remember thinking it was too good to last. I was right.”

“No.” I shake my head softly. “You’re wrong.”

Dallas searches my face before sweeping her eyes over my shoulder, swallowing hard. Tears glisten on her pale, heart-shaped face. “That day at my work. You were with that guy…” Her voice trails off.

My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. I shake my head. “He’s my friend. We went on one date, but I wasn’t over you and Ben.”

“And now?” she asks softly.

“What do you mean?”

“When I asked you to tell me a secret, you said that you’re still in love with Ben and I. Did you mean it? You’re not over us?”

She stands up and comes to a stop in front of me. Her eyes search mine briefly before she strokes her thumb over my bottom lip.

My breath hitches.

She moves even closer, her lips a breath away from mine.

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