Winning my Best Friend's Girl - Piper Rayne Page 0,56
the door with my bag. “I’m about to face your question head-on. Mind if I steal your brother away for a little bit?”
She smiles wide. “He’s all yours. Then again, he’s always been yours.”
She laughs as I open the door and leave, shutting it behind me.
Kingston’s on the couch with his feet resting on the coffee table, and he’s flicking through the channels with the remote. “How is she?”
“False alarm, I think.”
“That’s good.” His attention remains on the television.
“Want to go for a walk?”
Seeming surprised, he looks at me and clicks off the television, his feet falling to the floor. “You want to walk around Lake Starlight with me? Rumors will fly.”
I nod. “I think it’s about time we have a real conversation. Don’t you?”
He grabs his jacket that’s hanging off a nearby chair. “After you?”
After dropping my bag off in Kingston’s truck, we hit the downtown streets of Lake Starlight. Although winter weather is practically here, it’s an unusually warm day, which is why I took advantage of the nice weather and walked the two miles from my mom’s to Rome’s house. Still, I button my jacket tighter and put my mittens on while we walk.
“I’m sorry about last weekend,” I say. “I never should’ve run out. I know why you did what you did. It was sweet.”
He side-glances me. “I shouldn’t have hit him. He’s my best friend. I’m the one who needs to apologize. I’m the one who’s acting like a lunatic.”
“No, you’re not,” I say. “This is weird. It’s all weird.”
“I’m so fucking happy you’re home, but at the same time, I’m not. I haven’t been myself since you peeled back that hospital curtain.”
I nod. “I should’ve handled it differently. This talk should’ve happened as soon as I returned to Alaska.”
We pass the gazebo. It would be the perfect place to stop and talk, but it doesn’t feel right. There are way too many prying eyes.
“You made your feelings clear at Juno’s wedding, and I haven’t been respecting them. That’s on me. I’ve thought a lot about it since last weekend, and the only solution is to make sure we’re not at the house on the same days. We’ll keep it professional at the hospital when we see each other. I’m thinking of putting in for a transfer.”
He can’t be serious. I figured we’d apologize and move forward like we always do.
“That’s what you want?”
He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “No, it’s not what I want.” We stop at the corner and his eyes lock with mine. “I’d rather give us an honest shot.”
“But?”
“My life choices are too scary for you, and I get it. I know you’re scared, and I understand the why of it. I’m not refuting your reasons, but I can’t keep pretending that my feelings for you are platonic. I love you. I always have.”
I swallow, and my chest warms and my heart breaks in the same moment. We end up at the beach opening. We both stand and look out onto Lake Starlight, the long dock that holds so many memories. We’re quiet for a few minutes. I’m trying to think of what I can say to him, but I don’t know how to make this better.
He finally breaks the silence. “Can I ask you a question?”
“What?”
“Why did you leave that night? I never was able to say goodbye to you.”
“Because…” Any excuse other than the truth is on the tip of my tongue, but he deserves honesty. “I couldn’t say goodbye to you. I saw you save those people and I saw you looking through the crowd for me afterward. I stayed to make sure you were safe, but I was afraid that if I actually said goodbye to you, I’d never get on that plane the next day. And we both needed that distance. I’d already done so much to hurt you.”
He nods, but I don’t know if he’s appeased by the answer or not.
He walks forward, and my heart breaks that he doesn’t want to go to the dock. I always saw it as our spot and thought maybe he was leading us there.
“I’m always chasing you,” he says. “I feel like I’m always looking like a fool. The guy who can’t take the hint that the girl doesn’t feel the same. I think it’s time we part ways. Learn to be apart from one another again.”
My feet stop as my stomach sinks. “What?”
He never looks over at me, not even a fleeting glance.