“Don’t apologize. That’s not something you can help. I know we have a past, and I know we haven’t talked through it yet. But I’m here if you need to talk to someone.”
She blinked at me a few times. “Flynn, I wouldn’t even know how to get a hold of you. You fly so far under the radar.”
The corners of my lips tilted up. “Then let me put my number in your phone.”
She arched a single eyebrow at me before pulling her phone out and handing it over. I put my contact in the phone and handed it back.
“We should talk about everything. Clear the air, I mean. It’s pretty obvious you’re not the same person you used to be.”
I smirked. “Well, you aren’t the same girl either. You’re a lot more open and headstrong than I remember.”
She lifted her head back up and placed a hand on her hip. “I’ve changed a lot.”
“Are you still the same prim and proper virgin?” I joked. Not that it really mattered. She was still Evelyn, and I still felt the same way I did back then around her.
She shifted her feet. “I fucked that up. I wasn’t strong enough to keep those morals.”
My heart sank, but my anger flared. I’d already hated the piece of shit, and hearing her say that made me loathe him more. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “I always thought I would’ve lost it to you,” she mumbled with her cheeks tinged pink.
Me too. I’d sifted through all the ways I would’ve taken her if I had the chance. “Listen, Evelyn, I’m sorry. About all of it. I didn’t know how to handle the situation, so I didn’t handle it. I ran like a fucking coward.”
Her brows bumped together in a frown. “Situation? I don’t even know what happened. How can you apologize when I don’t even know the whole story.”
My leg throbbed. I needed to take the fucking thing off. “I’ll explain everything to you next time,” I promised.
“The word sorry is so meaningless and overused.” She opened the car door and held onto the top. “Saying sorry doesn't fix the heartbreak you left me with for ten years, sorry is just a word. Prove it.”
I nodded. She had every right to feel that way. “I will prove it, Evelyn. And I’ll explain everything. Drive safe, and text me when you get home.”
“I will.” She slid into the car and shut the door.
She pulled out and headed down the long drive. I watched her until her car was out of sight. There was a time when memories of us were my tormentors, torture only escapable by a fleeting, dreamless sleep.
After tonight, I had a chance to make things right. I could atone for my mistakes, whether I deserved to or not.
The autumn breeze skimmed over me, chilling through my wool cardigan down to the bottom of my spine. Most of the leaves were already gone. Fall was my favorite season, and it was the shortest of the four in our small town.
My legs were curled up on Mags’ porch swing. Faith, Mags and I were cozied up on the three-person swing while Asher and Luca were inside occupying Lance. I enjoyed coming over to Luca and Mags’ new home. It had a couple of acres, and the nature surrounding their home was quaint.
“So, did you text him?” Faith arched a freshly plucked eyebrow.
I clutched my phone tighter in my hand. “Yes, I texted him and let him know I made it home last night.”
“Did he text back?” Mags asked.
I unlocked my phone, and it opened to our messages.
Me:I made it.
Flynn: It was really good to see you tonight.
My skin tingled as I reread his message, and my heart thumped erratically in my chest. There were butterflies—something I hadn’t felt in a long time. He was the only one capable of making me feel the way I did.
I handed the phone over to them, and they read it with knowing looks in their eyes. Faith handed it back, and I tucked it into my pocket.
“I have so many questions,” Mags said.
I nodded. “That makes two of us.”
“Actually, make it three.” Faith clicked her tongue. “What did the note say his mom dropped off.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. “It’s not really something I feel right talking about. It’s really deep, and nothing really to do with us or me. More so what he’d gone through overseas.”
They both nodded. “But, how do you feel about him now?” Mags asked.
My heart fluttered at the thought of him. “Hearing his voice makes my knees weak. Seeing his face sends me into overdrive. I can't help but feel this way about him. It’s like he never left. His eyes are deeper than before. I remember how his hands brushed against my hand as we walked down the school hallway. He’s my soulmate. I knew it back then, and I know it now. Even if that sounds ridiculous.”
Faith knocked my knee with hers, and heat rushed to my face as I realized what I’d just said. “But he did leave, Eve.”
Tears swam in my eyes. “I know. But I can’t ignore how I feel. I won’t. I have a chance to have him back in my life—at least in some form. I’ve missed him, so much.”
It sounded ridiculous, to be hung up on a man who up and left ten years ago. But he was more than a high school sweetheart or a fling. We connected on a deep level and understood each other more than anyone else. It killed me not knowing what he went through while he was gone. It was stupid to have ever tried to move on from him.
“Well, I hope you can work it out. I know how much you loved Flynn.” Mags smiled, hesitating before she continued, “I have some news… it’s about Gerald.”
“Gerald.” That name left a bitter taste in my mouth as bile lurched, burning
