Unbreakable(45)

“Do you still want me?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“Emmy.” He lets out a deep, shuddering sigh. “Of course I do.”

Then the gentle look on his face quickly disappears. “But I meant what I said. This is over. It has to be, Em.”

A soft sob escapes me, and I quickly look away. He’s already pulled back, and now the only thing left for me to do is grieve.

“Okay.” I barely get the word out without totally breaking down.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I’m so sorry we couldn’t end this right.”

That’s the hardest part. I know that he’s sorry. He’s not doing this to hurt me; he’s just doing what we agreed to do. Now, I have to hold up my end of the bargain.

I ask the question that’s been on my mind ever since our friends arrived. “Are you sorry for kissing me that night in the rain?”

He reaches for me but pulls away quickly, like he feels that he doesn’t have the right to touch me anymore.

It breaks my heart.

“No, Sunshine,” he says gently. “I’m not sorry for any of it.”

“Me either,” I whisper, placing my hand on his chest. I feel his heart beating fast through the thin material of his shirt. All I want is for him to pull me into his arms one last time, but he doesn’t. Instead, he removes my hand and places a chaste kiss against the back of my fingers.

“Try and get some sleep.”

“Okay,” I whisper.

He stands and looks down at me for a moment before turning and walking toward the door.

“It will be okay, Em,” he says. “It’s all going to be okay.”

“Do you really believe that?”

He drags his hands down over his face. “It has to be.”

Then he turns and slips out of my room without another word. He doesn’t even look back, and I think that hurts most of all.

I fall back against my pillow, too tired to hold back my tears anymore. I cry for what could have been, and what can never, ever be.





Chapter Eighteen





EMMY




“Will, you can be my partner!” Lilly tells him.

The guys decided they wanted to go for a swim before dinner, so here we are—floating around the lake while they choose teams for chicken.

I glance over from my inner tube and see Lilly, for what feels like the millionth time in the past two hours, draping herself all over Will.

She’s wearing what might be the tiniest bikini on earth. She looks hot, and of course she knows it, but she’s trying way too hard.

Will looks annoyed, but Lilly doesn’t even notice. Not that I’m surprised.

Most of my day was spent hanging out with Violet and Peyton. I have to admit, it was good to be with my friends. I’ve missed them so much. We did a little shopping and went to lunch at one of the local restaurants before going on a short hike through the woods. We didn’t go anywhere near the treehouse, though. That would’ve sent me reeling.

Lilly had zero interest in joining us for any girl-bonding activities. She made it very clear that she wanted to spend the day with Will. That was the catalyst to get the hell away from the cottage. I wasn’t going to stand around watching her throw herself at him for the entire day.

“You’re not playing, Em?” Sully asks.

“Nah. I’ll be the judge in case you need one.”

Will glances over at me, his face concerned.

Hmm. Maybe I’m not hiding how I feel very well after all.

To be honest, I’m a total mess trying to keep my feelings under lock and key, yet Will doesn’t seem the slightest bit affected. Not one little bit. You’d never even know anything happened between us. He seems—other than the occasional worried glance he shoots in my direction—exactly like he always does.

But this problem is completely my own. Will was upfront with me from the start. He told me not to confuse his affection with desire, and I did exactly that. But my heart got all tangled up in every sweet word and gentle touch.

I need to face facts: other than being one of his best friends, I’m exactly like every other girl he’s hooked up with. I should have known that last night when we were alone in my room together. He immediately and very clearly drew an uncrossable line in the sand. As it is, I’m probably only getting the worried looks because I’m his friend.

“You’re a total party pooper,” Peyton says, splashing me. “Okay. I’ll partner up with you, Sully.”

I slide on my sunglasses. “I am not. It’s just that someone has to keep you people in line. You guys cheat.”

“Doesn’t matter anyway. When Dylan gets back from the store with our beer, this game is over. C’mon let’s get moving.”

Will slides down so Lilly can hop onto his shoulders. I study his steady hands as he grips her thighs and a white-hot flash of jealousy courses through me. I want those big, capable hands on me.

Lilly lets out a blood-curdling shriek when Will stands, and he cringes.

“There go my eardrums,” he mutters, darting a look in my direction.

“It’s so high,” she whines, clutching at his shoulders.

Violet walks down the length of the dock with a towel wrapped tightly around her. She’d forgotten to pack her bathing suit for the trip, so we stopped at one of the local shops to pick one up. The suits they had in stock were way sexier than Violet’s used to wearing, but Peyton convinced her to purchase one.