Page 9 of Easy To Lose

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It doesn’t take long to get to the beach, but when I park my truck and open the door, the scent of saltwater and fresh air hits me, and I instantly calm down. I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager, and no matter what day of the week or time of day or season, it always calms my nerves and allows me to see things a little more clearly.

I head toward my favorite spot, one that I found my junior year. It’s hidden under an old pier. Over the years, I’ve created a pretty neat space. Old tree stumps act as stools, and to the naked eye, it seems like an abandoned spot. But to me, it’s my salvation. What I don’t expect to see when I approach is a figure sitting on my favorite stump, looking out at the water, bundled in a bright blue sweatshirt and neon pink leggings. I know only one person who loves that color combo, and my heart starts to race as I make my way toward her.

“Morgan?” I whisper, hoping I don’t scare her. But from the way she jumps off the stump and almost falls on her ass, I know I didn’t do a good job.

“Owen? What are you doing here?” she asks, wide-eyed and so fucking beautiful. She has no makeup on, and her hair is up in a crazy bun on the top of her head. Although I can see the apprehension in her gaze, those eyes slay me.

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” She gives me a shy smile as she turns to look back at the water. “I didn’t think you’d remember this place,” I say, picking up one of the stumps and setting it beside her. Once I sit down, my eyes catch the side of her face, and for the first time in years, I feel a weight lift off my chest. She’s here. She’s back in my life. And although I know a part of her still hates me, I don’t care right now. As long as she’s here, I know I have a chance to change her mind.

“This spot saved me on more than one occasion when we were in high school. I remember I came here the day after prom.” Her voice cracks, and as much as I don’t want to get into it, I know it’s time we talked about what happened.

“I know you hate me for that night,” I start, watching a shuddering breath leave Morgan’s body. If it weren’t for the way her fingers play with the fabric of her leggings, I’d think she wasn’t listening. “I never meant for you to hate me.” She scoffs but still doesn’t look toward me. So, I continue. “I tried to find you for years, but your parents are like a vault. They wouldn’t tell me where you went at first.” That gets her attention, and when her eyes focus on mine, my heart breaks at the tears threatening to fall.

“You tried to find me?” I nod as she turns toward me fully. “Why?” Her question catches me off guard. Because her not realizing the impact she’s had on my life is something I need to rectify.

“M, you were the most important thing in my life. And then, all of a sudden, you were gone, and I couldn’t find you, and I didn’t know what to do…” A barking laugh escapes as Morgan gets up and starts walking away. Before I have a chance to follow, she stops and turns, clearly pissed.

“I was the most important thing in your life? Come on, Owen. You didn’t give two shits about me. That was crystal-clear when you left me to wait hours for you on prom night and then ignored every text I sent for the next two days!” My heart breaks as her tears fall, and I have to fight every instinct in me not to grab her and wrap her in my arms. Because I know that will only make this whole thing worse.

“I wanted to bring you that night, okay! I wanted more than anything to take you to that dance and watch you smile as we both danced horribly. I wanted to see you in your dress because I know you would have looked so beautiful. But most of all, I wanted to go with you because the idea of not going with you made my heart break.” Everything around us stops, and for a split second, I wonder if I said too much.

“What are you talking about? You stood me up!” She flings her arms to the sides, and I stand, slowly walking toward her.

“I had to! If I didn’t, they would’ve made your life a living hell!” Her eyes shoot to mine, uncertainty reflecting back at me.

“What are you talking about?” I can’t help my fingers from pulling at the edges of my hair as I try to find the words to explain the shit show that was our senior year.

I sit back down on the stump, my head in my hands as I start to explain as best I can. “It was supposed to be the night I finally... It was supposed to be the best night of my life. But then Kelly found out and ruined everything…” I mutter. I can’t even tell if she’s listening, and I stare at the sand, my emotions overwhelming. When I feel her kneel in front of me, I look up, meeting her beautiful eyes.

“Found out about what?” she whispers as if she’s afraid to hear the answer, but I see the determination in her gaze. I know this is it. This is the moment that could change everything.

“She found out that I was in love with you.”

Chapter 8

Morgan

My alarm sounds, and I groan, turning to shut the damn thing off. I had the worst night’s sleep, and I know it’s because I spent most of the night replaying what Owen said and trying to figure out what to do next.

Don’t get me wrong, hearing someone tell you they were in love with you is extremely flattering, but when it’s your ex-best friend who you now hate but were also in love with for most of your childhood, it makes things a little more complicated. I mean, does he still love me? I shake my head. Of course, not. He has a girlfriend—a very beautiful one at that—and him leaving her to be with me is laughable.

After he dropped that bombshell of a statement, I don’t remember anything but laughing to myself as I walked away. He tried to get me to stay and talk, but I was beyond talking at that point. I couldn’t picture the captain of the football team, the most popular guy in school, being in love with the chubby girl who lived down the street. To me, it just wasn’t plausible. So, I walked away.

I regret it now, thinking about every word, every look, and every gesture he made last night. Why didn’t I stay? Ask how? Why? Find out what changed? But the idea of bringing it up now after I walked away the way I did makes me sick to my stomach. I guess I’ll just have to ignore him for the rest of my life…right?

I head into the shower, making sure to blast music so I don’t stand there and overthink every part of that conversation. When I’m done, I get ready as quickly as possible because the grand opening of Head Over Heels is in a few days, and I know there is a ton of stuff to do—and thinking about Owen is not one of them. I pick my phone up off the bed and see a text from Charly.

Charly: How’s my store doing? Are you excited about opening next week?

I text back that everything is going smoothly, that the store looks awesome, and that everything is set for the grand opening.

Charly: I knew I picked the right girl for the job!

I know she’s one of my closest friends but hearing that from her makes me extremely proud. I just hope that she likes what I’ve done with the store when she comes down next week.

Me: When does your flight come in again? I wanna meet you at the airport!

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