Page 80 of Always Mine

No, fuck that. I charge forward, smacking my hands into his chest and pushing him back. “You fucking look at me!” I growl. “You want to break up? You want to go about your perfect fucking college athlete life? Fine! You be a fucking man and tell me to my face that you don’t want to be with me!”

“Wyatt.”

“Do it!” I scream.

It takes him a second to speak and an even longer second for him to finally look at me but when he does, I see it. The complete resolve in his hardened blue eyes. No hesitation. No remorse. No—

“We should break up.”

If I thought a broken arm was bad, nothing in the world compares to a broken heart. I stumble back, needing to get away from him and this spot. I’m somewhere between devastated shock and hysterical screams, and I need to get somewhere safe before I break apart completely. I spin away, heading to my truck.

I can hear Paxton call for me, but I ignore him, choosing to focus on my breathing. That’s good though, at least if I’m breathing, I’m still alive, even though I feel like my guts are hanging from my body.

Hopping into my truck, I twist the key, mashing on the gas so hard I spin the tires out before taking off. I know I shouldn’t be driving, but the thought of sitting back there and falling apart in front of Paxton is not an option.

It’s only a few minutes before I have to stop. I pull over, shaking so badly, and eyes filled to the brim with tears, making seeing impossible. I search out my phone, not even sure where I am exactly, but I need help. I scroll to the recent calls seeing Paxton’s name first, and a gut-wrenching sob leaves me before I have a chance to hold it back. I use my free hand to pound the steering wheel, the urge to destroy the world strong.

How could he do this to me?

I look down at my phone again, using my sleeve to swipe my eyes as I scroll looking for someone I can call. I can’t call my family when I’m like this. They’ll panic, so that only really leaves…

I press the call button, bringing the phone to my ear as I listen to the rings.

“Hello?”I open my mouth to speak but only a choked noise manages to escape.“Wyatt?”His voice sounds concerned, clearly not expecting me to sound like this. He begins firing off questions, but my ability to answer is wrecked.“Let me call, Paxton.”

“No!” I scream, way too loudly. “P-please. Don’t.”

“Okay.”I can hear a bunch of noise in the background before the sound of his ignition starts a moment later.“I’m going to use Find My Friends and come to you, okay?”

I nod even though he can’t see and suddenly I feel exhausted. I unclip my seatbelt, fall to the side, and lay down on the bucket seat of my truck, listening to Cooper’s soothing voice as he talks.

TWENTY-SIX

Paxton

I’m sitting in a booth at the diner across from Cooper, trying like hell to figure out how this conversation is going to go.

When he texted me this morning, asking to meet, I was hesitant. I know how close he’s become with Wyatt and I didn’t want to cause a rift between them. It sucks because Cooper used to be my friend, too. Him and Hunter both.

Granted, I haven’t seen them much because according to Wyatt, they’ve been out of town working, but I’m not sure how my being here will affect him. Wyatt has been very reserved when it comes to talking about his relationship with Cooper. I don’t know exactly why, but I’m getting the impression Cooper has some feelings for Wyatt.

As much as I hate that Idea, I can’t blame or fault him for that. That’s the kind of pull Wyatt has. He’s quiet if you don’t really know him. He can definitely be stand-offish, but once he gets to know you, he lights up and his entire personality comes out to play.

“So,” he mutters, swirling his spoon around his coffee as he stares at me. “How’s it going, Pax?”

The way he says my name is calm but it’s unsettling too. Maybe it’s because I’m on edge, but I need him to jump to the chase. “Okay, we can come back to the pleasantries later, if you really want to have them. I’m still not one-hundred percent sure you even do, but that’s beside the point. I’m interested to know why you wanted to talk?”

I’m glad Milly already brought us coffee, I’d hate for her to bear witness to what I’m guessing is about to be a blow out.

His brow lifts and mouth turns down at my words and I brace myself for him to snap back. But he surprises me completely when a smirk spreads across his face. “You’re… the same. I was expecting...” He pauses, one shoulder lifting in a half shrug. “I don’t know what I was expecting exactly.”

Um, what now? This is not going how I was thinking it would, and I have no idea what to make of his expression. It’s almost like he’s happy to see me. It’d make sense because we were friends for so long, but I really didn’t think he'd welcome me back easily. Especially if he has feelings for Wyatt like I think he does.

“You were thinking I’d be a different person,” I finally say once I’ve found my voice.

He takes a sip from his cup, seeming to be just as much at a loss as I am. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe have a snide attitude or something.”

I shake my head, fiddling with the packet of creamer. Wow, we’re a pair. Me messing with the condiments and him swirling his spoon again. We’re both antsy over whatever the hell this conversation is. Feels so odd.

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