Beg You to Trust Me (Lindon U #2)(58)
Rubbing my jaw, I replay what happened in the cab of the truck before she left.
“Mind if I ask you something?”
My teammate shrugs. “Shoot.”
“How did you and Raine get together? Everyone knows you’ve been dating for years, but it couldn’t have been easy. Why her? Why still work at it after all this time?”
He looks contemplative for a second, but the soft smile on his face is the same one he always has when his woman is involved. “Raine is a good person. I was always into her, but she never really looked at me that way until we were probably about fifteen. We were awkward and got dared to make out during a stupid party game. Seven minutes in heaven. Ever played?”
All I do is grin, confirming what he needs to know as memories in dark closets and bathrooms over the years resurface.
He snorts. “Anyway, once we got into the closet, we just sat there. It was probably about five minutes when I told her we could lie to everyone and say we did it.” That smile spreads at whatever memory he’s having. “So, that’s what we did. I wanted to kiss her, man, but she didn’t want anything to do with me in that moment. And afterwards, I was glad, because she deserved more than a kiss in the shadows with twenty people outside waiting.”
“So what? You chased after her until she was so annoyed she finally agreed to give you a shot?”
“Nah. She was saving up to buy a car and looking for work during the summer. My dad talked to her mom, and she ended up getting a job at the hardware store. We spent almost every day together over summer break. Kind of forced us to talk or else it would have been awkward as hell. It all sort of…clicked into place then.”
“That simple?”
“Nothing about a relationship is simple, dude. Just because you don’t see us arguing or getting on each other’s nerves doesn’t mean we don’t. We just work it out privately.”
I wiggle my brows. “I bet you do.”
He takes one of the pens from my desk and chucks it at me. It misses and lands on the other side of my bed. “Shut it, ass. What I’m trying to say is that sometimes there doesn’t have to be some huge love story involved. I didn’t chase her, but I didn’t give up. We got to know each other and decided we liked each other. That grew to love. By the time school came around, I’d convinced her to go on a date with me. That turned into two, three, you get it. And here we are. Shit isn’t always easy, but if you find a good one, it’s worth a little stress.”
There’s a moment of silence between us as I think about what he said, giving me time to pick up my phone and thumb out a response to the person still waiting to hear back from me.
Me: Hi
Caleb breaks the silence. “Is there a reason you think she wouldn’t want a relationship with you? Did you open your mouth and say something stupid again?”
My glare makes him grin wider. “The fact you’d assume that’s why she wouldn’t be interested offends me.”
He doesn’t look like he cares. “No, it doesn’t. So, what’s the deal? You’re friends, right? I know you have class with her. You got up early to drive her to the airport. I see you texting with her all the time, and you never text with chicks unless you’re trying to get a hookup. I don’t even know the last time you got laid.”
“She needed a ride,” is how I choose to reply. “And for the record, we are friends. It’s just a little complicated right now.”
“Why?”
My nose twitches, so I swipe it. “I kissed her. Twice now. And now she’s in California.”
His brows dart up. “You didn’t talk about it before she left?”
I wince. “She would have been late for her flight.” I wave my phone. “And this is the first time we’ve talked since she left. I wanted to give her time with her family instead of bugging her about shit that is better said in person.”
He almost frowns but stops himself. Out of all of the guys I hang around, he’s the relationship guru. Him and Raine are a package deal that can offer some wise words when needed, but I’ve never needed any until now.
“She’s skittish,” I tell him. “And I don’t want to make it worse by laying it on thick. The kiss wasn’t even that big of a deal.”
Lie.
My thoughts wander to the party, trying to scrape together any clues as to who she was with that night. I’d been preoccupied doing my own thing. Trying to get people to stop breaking and stealing shit that Aiden would find out about if we weren’t careful. Not to mention the jersey chasers who would come up and pull my attention away one dance at a time. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to her that night, but I wish I had.
When I glance down at my phone, I see her next message.
Blondie: I want a redo
A redo.
“Christ,” I murmur.
Caleb shifts. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I mumble, rubbing my neck and quietly groaning to myself. “I need to figure some shit out, I guess. I don’t want to make the wrong move with her. I’d rather have her as a friend than nothing at all.”
“I get that,” he says. “You sure that’s it?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I’ve obviously been watching one too many sappy movies is all. Getting all up in my feels. I need to finish up some homework before crashing. When are you all heading to the library?”