my pace.
Twenty-Four
Blair
No.
This couldn’t be happening.
What the hell did the universe have against me?
Had I been a total jerk in a previous life? Was this some karmic bullshit I couldn’t escape? Maybe there was such a thing as fate, and my stars were way, way out of alignment.
Just like my steering wheel.
I flopped forward and banged my head against it.
I’d only wanted to see the game. It had been so important to him, to everyone. I’d thought if I sat in the visitors’ section, wore a hat and sunglasses and stayed quiet, I’d go unnoticed.
But he’d seen me, I knew he had. We’d locked eyes, and I hadn’t been able to breathe.
Then I’d panicked—it was so embarrassing! So obvious that I was still clinging to hope, even after he’d told me in no uncertain terms we were through. I’d rushed out of the stands and raced toward the parking lot, praying I could get out of there before anyone else spotted me. Jumping into my car, I tossed my hat aside and took off so fast, my tires spit gravel.
But I was flustered and I’d gotten turned around in the lot, unsure which way the exit was. Was it over there by the tennis court? Over this way by the soccer field? My eyes blurry with tears, I found myself speeding up and down row after row like I was in a maze I couldn’t get out of. There were a bunch of orange and white barrels everywhere, and the pavement was all rocky and pockmarked. Finally, I saw a way out, and I hit the gas.
And then—boom! I felt a familiar explosion beneath my car and slammed on the brakes.
My car skidded sideways, wobbled and shuddered, jumped the curb and struck a huge boulder on the school lawn that had two words painted on it: WELCOME BACK!
God. This was so unfair.
I choked back a sob as I got out of the car.
“Blair!”
Startled, I looked to my left and saw Griffin running at me across the parking lot as if his life depended on it. Reaching my side, he fell forward, hands on his knees, breathing hard. “Blair, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” He straightened up, still huffing and puffing. “Just don’t faint yet. I need a second to catch my breath.”
My face burned, and I shook my head. “I’m not going to faint.”
“Good. Are you sure you’re all right?” He took me by the upper arms, and gooseflesh rippled across my skin.
“Yes. I’m just really embarrassed.” Fans from the game were heading toward their cars now, and many of them were staring at us.
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want you to see me here. And I just blew another tire. Also I might have damaged this rock that’s probably been here for a hundred years.” I gestured toward it.
“I’m sure you were legally parked when it hit you.”
I almost smiled. A tear slipped down my cheek. “I’m a disaster.”
“Stop it. You’re beautiful.” He brushed it with his thumb. “Do you know how happy I am to see you here?”
My heart stopped beating. “You are?”
He took my face in his hands. “If it weren’t for that game, I’d already be on your doorstep right now, begging your forgiveness.”
“You would?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry, Blair. I was wrong to send you away like that. I lied about how I felt because I was scared. I swear to God, the minute you were gone, I realized my mistake, but I was too stubborn to admit it.”
“You really hurt me,” I said quietly.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I hated myself for it. You just . . . took me by surprise. I had no idea someone like you even existed, and I was totally unprepared for the way you made me feel. But I don’t want to fight it anymore.”
The crowd behind him was closing in around us, and I could hear some people murmuring with curiosity, and others shushing the murmurers so they could hear better.
“Um, we’re surrounded,” I whispered.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said with a wry, crooked grin. “It’s not like it’s possible to have any secrets in this town.”
“True.”
“Nothing was good without you, Blair. I need you in my life. And I don’t care who knows it.”
“Griffin,” I said, tears splashing down my cheeks.
He wiped them away with his thumbs. “Say you’ll give me another chance.”
“I want to, but I’m scared. I trusted you.”
“Don’t be scared.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I am the man you thought I was, Blair. Let