Page 8 of Homecoming

“Besides, it’s you who’s going to forget about me.”

I stood up, forcing myself to get away, to let her go.

“No, Ian,” her voice came strongly from behind me. She was a shy girl, I’d never heard her speak in that loud, stern voice. “I will never, ever forget about you. I love you.”

With her last words echoing in my head, I stood immobile and looked at the woman standing next to Rylee. A woman who had a small smile, an expectant smile, and a hand extended my way, waiting for me to reach for it and shake it.

I looked at her big, warm, brown eyes, and saw… nothing.

I broke my promise, I knew that.

Over the years, I did forget about her. At first, it was a continuous effort, because thinking about her hurt too much. With time, it became almost instinct, until she was nothing more but a fond memory.

I couldn’t see anything in her eyes that would indicate that she knew me, that she didn’t forget about me and the fact that she broke her promise was agony.

I stood there and looked into the eyes that once upon a time were my home.

I stood there and watched Lola Adams trying to introduce herself to me.

Chapter Two

Lola

“So.” Rylee looked at me over her shoulder, with a glint in her eyes that warned me she was going to give me shit, as she pushed the door open, letting the blistering heat invade the cool corridor. “Will you be able to get through today, or are you going to run away again?”

I groaned, throwing my head back and looking up at the neon lights over my head. I didn’t know if I could do this with her. I loved Rylee, I really did.

And yes, she was technically my boss, but she was also my closest friend. Still, I didn’t explain why I ran the moment Ian Williams uttered my name in disbelief, standing still like a breeze would shatter his body into a thousand pieces. Rylee didn’t push, even though she was curious. It was plain as day in every glance she had thrown my way over the last week, and I loved her for it, but it was clear my time was up. I was going to have to spill.

I knew it was coming. The preparation for the race weekend was in full force, and Rylee and I were making the rounds among the drivers and the crew. This event, coming at the end of the season, was organized to raise money for Rylee’s charity. We were in the thick of it, dealing with the details and readying everything in time for the Championship announcement.

“I will do my job, Ry,” I said, righting my head and looking at her. I needed her to know that my statement was true. I would never do anything to jeopardize our work, despite the shock that seeing Ian had given me.

It wasn’t like I didn’t know he was going to be here—or that I would see him.

For God’s sake, I had been obsessed with the boy, this man, since I’d been ten years old.

He was my everything and I cried for two months straight once he left.

I hadn’t expected the reaction and the jolt of electricity running through me, making my whole body shake uncontrollably, once I saw him again.

It was almost like I was reliving all my teenage years, where my feelings went from missing my friend to lust, once his pictures started popping out everywhere as he built his career, to what I thought was love, all in a blink of an eye.

It didn’t matter that somewhere along the way he’d changed his last name. Or that his blue eyes weren’t that soft, almost tranquil blue anymore, but had instead over the years developed a certain sharpness I was certain could slash a person with only one look. I would know Ian Williams anywhere, and anytime.

With one look, I also knew he broke his promise.

He had stopped thinking about me, and eventually forgot all about me.

It was only seeing me standing before him that reminded him of my existence. Even then, it took several moments for him to call to mind who I was.

It was painful watching his eyes go from mild curiosity to downright pain and shock as pieces fell together, then turn cold as ice, giving me nothing.

I’m not a complete bitch. I knew we hadn't seen each other for fifteen years—I grew up, he grew up, and in the process, we both changed. Both physically, and mentally. So it wasn’t that crazy that he didn’t immediately recognize me.

Still, it hurt. A lot.

I couldn’t deal with the pain. So I ran.