Page 46 of Begin Again Again

Fuck.

“Don’t panic,” Beth said, obviously reading his expression. “But you fell asleep on me, then you ghosted me all day, then you came to my touch rugby game and started acting like we’re a couple or something. You’re sending mixed vibes.”

Byron didn’t say anything. He wanted to reassure Beth, but he also wanted to be honest. He didn’t know what he wanted from her. He was happy to be with her now, but he had no idea if that feeling would hold once they weren’t together. It hadn’t for anyone else, not for a very long time.

Beth eyed him. “Okay, I can see you’re having an OG male response to this, so, I’m going to do a non-OG girl thing and say ‘Goodbye, let me know when you have an answer.’”

She turned and walked off the track and into a patch of pine trees. Byron stared after her, resentment fighting panic, fighting desire. He waited a couple beats, then followed, unsure he was doing the right thing. “Hey, don’t just go. Let’s finish our walk.”

“Byron,” she said, hands on her waist. “I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but I don’t want to fuck around. I get that you’re an Aquarius—”

“Horoscopes aren’t real.”

“—but you’re acting like I’m not being serious and I am.”

Byron looked up at the thick swathes of pine needles above them. “Understood.”

“Is it? Because I get that we don’t know each other well and I don’t want to, like, pressure you into anything heavy, but I also don’t want to spend all day waiting for messages that don’t come. Or play couples because you’re jealous of some guy I play touch rugby with.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“I don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why we’re having this conversation.”

He smiled against his better judgement. He hated these talks, and thought it was way too soon to be having this one, but he liked her. He liked her honesty.

“Byron?”

He glanced across at her. “Honestly? I don’t know what I’m after. But I like you and I think we could have some fun together.”

Beth looked unimpressed.

Byron jerked a thumb back at the brick building where they’d kissed. “You don’t want more of that?”

Beth’s frown melted a little. “Imightbe interested. But not if you’re going to act like a fuckboy.”

“A fuckboy?”

“Or whatever gen Z calls guys who just want to get their end away and pretend to be confused about anything that isn’t getting their end away.”

Byron opened his mouth to argue and closed it again. What was the point? Did he want to tell Beth he wasn’t like that? That he didn’t want to see her when he saw her and wander off whenever he felt like it?

“Thoughts?” Beth asked, eyebrows raised.

“I can’t promise to be around a whole lot,” he admitted. “How about I hit send on all my texts from now on and tone down the jealousy?”

Beth grinned. “That’s some inspiring stuff, Aquarius.”

“I try.”

“And I appreciate the effort.”

Byron held out his hands and to his relief Beth let herself be tucked into his arms again. He bent down, inhaling her hair. “That’s better.”

“You’re such a weirdo,” she muttered into his chest.

“Because I like hugs?”

“Because you showed up to my touch rugby game, unannounced.”

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