My Rebound (On My Own #2) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,62

that Tanner got to do it, and I didn’t.”

That made me snort. “Sorry. I’m sad that I didn’t get to deck him either. Damn Tanner and all the luck.”

Pacey grinned down at me, and I ignored the little clutch I felt in my belly. It didn’t mean anything. “We can hit him later.” He kissed me softly, and I sighed, thoughts of Sanders and our past slowly fading away.

“Deal.”

As Pacey kissed me again, I told myself this was just for now. Reminded myself that I didn’t need to fall in love again. Falling in love hurt.

The next time the man I loved left me, it would break me.

So, I wouldn’t fall.

I couldn’t.

Chapter 17

Pacey

Mackenzie: This exam is horrible. Why did I need to take this class?

Me: Because it’s a core credit, and you like the class.

Mackenzie: Stop making sense. And thank you again for coming to my rescue yesterday.

I growled at that. If I had to think about that asshole, Sanders, again, I might have to murder someone. And I wasn’t in the mood to go to jail.

Me: Well, you and I are fine. And we never need to think about that wanker again.

Mackenzie: Deal. I need to go to class. But I’ll talk to you soon?

Me: You can count on it.

I put my phone away because I had almost said something silly like: I love you. I couldn’t love Mackenzie. We were just hanging out. Having sex. Being friends.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and told myself that we weren’t serious. We were only friends. And yet, I knew I needed to tell her something soon. Or I could simply hide my feelings and not worry about it. We were young, still figuring things out… I needed to stop focusing on what could happen and deal with what was right in front of me.

Nessa was coming over to study in the office, and Tanner and Miles were in their study area, focusing on whatever tests they had coming up.

Today was my first time being alone with Nessa since Mackenzie had mentioned her thoughts about how Nessa felt about me. I couldn’t quite believe it. I mean, it was Nessa. We were friends. I thought we excelled at just being friends when people kept saying that we needed to be attracted to each other.

And yet, here I was, worried that maybe that was the case. Had I been wrong? Really bloody wrong?

I had to figure out what she was feeling or trust my gut instincts. Only I didn’t think I could.

The doorbell rang, and I went to see who it was. Nessa stood on the other side, wringing her hands. Something was off, and I wasn’t sure what to say.

Because I had a feeling I had fucked up. Big time.

“Hey,” I said as I opened the door.

“Hey there,” Nessa said and rocked back on her heels.

I let out a breath, then moved back. “Come on in. You don’t want to catch a cold.”

“Nor do we want you getting sick,” she said. I gave her a one-armed hug, and she squeezed back quickly before walking away.

Had she always done that? Or was it more so now?

Why was I messing up so badly so quickly all of a sudden? What was I doing wrong?

I had hoped that what Mackenzie had said about Nessa had just been her seeing things that weren’t there, but I didn’t think that was the case anymore. Now that I fought to remember every moment with Nessa, every look that I thought had been nothing...

Well, I wasn’t sure what to do or feel about it.

I swallowed hard and tried to smile, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Nessa gave me a weird look, and I smiled again. She rolled her eyes. “Are you okay?” And then she blinked. “Oh, no, is something wrong? Is it your illness?”

I went stiff. “It’s not that, just having a weird day, but it’s not that. And we can just say kidney thing since no one wants to pronounce the whole word.”

She blushed and set her bag on the couch. “I’m sorry. I would hate someone looking at me and thinking of me being sick. I’ll do my best not to do it to you.”

I shook my head. “I got so used to everyone around me knowing that I was sick that I don’t bring it up often.”

“I guess. I still feel bad for bringing it up. But I will be watching you like a hawk.” She paused a bit and put