Page 53 of SnowBound
I lifted both arms in surrender. “I swear. It messed with my mind. It’s the truth.”
“Is it?”
“Yep. All true. We clicked. But it was a one-night thing. It’s over. And it’s about time I get my life back and forget about it.” Not forget, but move on, my mind nagged me. “I’m sorry about everything. Ghosting you wasn’t my intention.”
“Are you?”
I cocked one brow in question.
“Ready to move on?”
“Yeah. It makes no sense to hang on to something so fleeting that sometimes I wonder if I have imagined the whole thing.” Until I closed my eyes at night and the images of our silly challenges filled my dreams. Or in the morning when I caught sight of the snow globe on my bookshelf. But Bethany didn’t need to hear that.
Her dark eyes pierced mine as if searching for answers. “What does it mean for us?”
I erased some of the distance between us and rested my hands on her hipbones. She relaxed under my touch. “I don’t know. Are you over what your ex did to you?”
“Yeah. I went to therapy for a while. He moved back to Seattle. We talked, and we got the closure we both deserved. He won’t be a problem anymore.” A small smile grazed her lips. “I’d like to see where this thing between us goes. But I’m not playing second fiddle to your mystery hookup.”
I nodded my agreement. “Are you going back home for the summer vacation?”
“I’ll be in Maine for two weeks visiting my father, then Washington for a month to spend time with my mom. I’m leaving in five days. If we’re still willing to give it a chance, let’s talk when we both are back on campus. No promises until we return to New York and have had time to think it through. Any plan to go to Memphis?”
“Short-term. Then I’m back in town because I have gigs scheduled all summer, and I’m working for Joe’s uncle during the day.”
Bethany’s palms pressed on my chest. “I’m glad we chatted.”
I mirrored her soft smile. “Me too.” A little voice in my head asked me if I could really do this, put Abby in the rearview mirror, as Joe said, and be in a relationship with Bethany.
Before my mind could take over, Bethany’s lips teased mine. I stilled, not sure I was ready for all that the kiss implied tonight.
She must have sensed my discomfort because she leaned back and put some distance between us.
“Sorry,” she said, a red hue creeping up her cheeks.
I swallowed. “Don’t be. It took me by surprise.” With a step back, I added more space between us and scratched my nape. Bethany blinked, hurt flashing on her features. Before she could make a big deal about it and leave, I reached forward and circled her wrists with my fingers. “Once we’re back on campus, we’ll get together and see where we’re at, okay?”
She averted her eyes before bringing them back to mine. “Are you sure you’re over her?”
I offered her a one-shoulder shrug and steeled my back. “Yeah. It’s over. It never even started.”
She inched closer and rose to her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Good. I’ll text you when I’m back in town.”
Side by side, for the next hour, we sat on the washer and dryer, catching up. The music and chatter from the party were muffled by the closed door, and I savored the calm it provided.
“I heard the song you played at the end-of-the-year show, Andy. It was beautiful.”
A smile broke free on my lips, and it felt good to let go for a night. “Thanks. It’s one of my new compositions. I was testing how it sounded.”
“Amazing. That’s the only word that came to mind when I heard it. You’re talented. No surprise you won.”
Each year, at the end of the winter semester, New York Arts and Music Academy hosted a show featuring their students and rewarded three of them with a ten-thousand-dollar money prize. One for each department: dance, music, and performance. This year, I won the music one. I had deposited the check at the bank in a savings account I kept for later. To help me launch my music career once I graduated.
“Thanks. It was very personal to me.”
“You deserved it. I swear.”
When we left the room and rejoined the party soon after, Bethany squeezed my forearm and spun to face me. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
