Seth & Greyson (The Coincidence #7)(38)

God, what the f*ck is wrong with me? I told him I need a break when that’s the last damn thing I want. What I need is to be with him completely. I’m just so Goddamn scared to open myself up like that again. Everything’s moving so fast that I can hardly keep up. First we come so close to having sex, something I’ve never done before. Then he tells me that he loves me… I feel dizzy just thinking about it all, but a good kind of dizzy. The kind of dizzy that means deep down, I want what he’s offering me.

“Seth, please tell me what’s bothering you,” Callie says, shouting over the music blaring through the club.

We’re in San Diego, of all places. I ended up here when Luke, Kayden, Callie, and I all decided to flee their hometown and take a break from… Well, life. Deep down, though, I know I’m here because I’m running away from my problems.

“I’m fine,” I assure her, checking my messages for like the hundredth time.

Greyson’s hardly texted me since we parted ways, and I don’t blame him. The look on his face… God, that look. It’s what haunts my dreams at night.

I put my phone into my pocket as Luke leaves the table to go get drinks. I’m dying for a cigarette, but the place is solely no smoking.

Callie wrings her hands on her lap then starts picking at her nails. “Seth, you’re not fine.”

I take out my phone again, secretly willing Greyson to text me back, but the phone remains silent. “I haven’t talked to Greyson since yesterday,” I finally give in and divulge. “I think he might be upset with me.”

She rests her arms on top of the table. “Why?”

I shrug. “Because I might have said something mean about our relationship.”

“Like what?”

“Like I wanted a break.” I sigh when she frowns at me in disappointment. “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t mean it. I was tired and overthinking things and… I didn’t mean it.”

She keeps frowning at me the same way. “Did you tell him that?”


“Not yet,” I tell her, disappointed in myself. Everything had been going just beautifully and I had to go and f*ck it up. All I had to do was open my mouth and speak the truth, something I’m usually good at. But nooo, I had to pick that exact moment to become Speechless Seth. “But I’m working up to an apology.”

“Seth.” She lays a hand on my arm. “Since when do you hold things in? You should never do that… it’s not healthy.”

She’s sooo quoting me, which I find both amusing and tragic. How can I give all this fantastic advice and refuse to take it myself?

I look at Kayden, who’s watching us, before snagging Callie’s sleeve and tugging her to her feet. “Come with me for a minute,” I say as I drag her to the bathroom, not wanting an audience when I admit what’s really going on.

I push through the crowd of people and make my way back to the ladies’ room. “Okay, I think I might have messed up,” I spill my guts to Callie the moment the door slams shut.

A few woman are primping like divas in front of the mirror, but they’re all too drunk to care much that I’m in here

“What happened?” Callie asks, reclining against the sink. “Something with Greyson, I’m guessing.”

I nod, rubbing my hand down my face. “I panicked.”

“I’m familiar with the term,” she says dryly. “But what did you panic about?”

“About—” I lower my voice and move aside as the door swings open and a herd of women come stumbling in. One shoots me a dirty look and I return it before fixing my attention on Callie again. “About our relationship.”

“Your’s and Greyson’s?”

“Yeah, I think I’m having flashbacks.”

The women around us are being nosy little biotches, so I grab Callie’s hand and pull her into the handicapped stall. Locking the door, I let go of her arm and rake my fingers through my hair, deciding exactly how much I should tell her.

“Seth, whatever it is, please just tell me,” she pleads. “You know you can tell me anything.”

I pull a wary face, knowing I’m about to make her uncomfortable. “It’s about intimacy.”

She squirms, just like I knew she would. “I can handle it.”

“Are you sure?”

She steps forward, squaring her shoulders. “Yes, I’m your best friend and you can tell me anything.”

Sighing, I pace the length of the stall, restless. “I can’t go through with it…and not because I’m worried about finally going that far. It’s because I keep having flashbacks.”

“About what?”

I stop pacing. “Of Braiden.”

“Do you still have feelings for him?” she asks, picking at the latch on the stall.

“No, it’s not that...” I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts and emotions together. “It’s…it’s about getting my heart broken.”

“It’s going to be okay.” She inches toward me and touches my arm. “Greyson’s not Braiden.”

“I know that.” I place my hand over hers. “But sometimes, I find myself going back to that place where I’m lying in the dirt and they’re kicking the shit out of me.”