I can’t breathe. I want to run away. I want to pull out my gun and point it at him. I freeze and just stare at him. I realize my mouth is gaping open and shut it. I put my hand around my beer just to feel the chill of it, the only thing I see that can calm me in any way.
Ryan just looks at me with a slight smile on his face. It slowly fades.
“It’s no big deal, right, Kate? You know I’d never hurt you.”
I know no such thing. He is hurting me right now by telling me this, by embroiling me in his twisted little web. I look around for someone to save me, but no one is there. It’s just me, Ryan, and a bunch of strangers who don’t give a damn about either of us. I have to remain calm.
“Yeah. No big deal,” I say. “She was trouble.”
“I’m glad you get it.”
I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all. I let a murderer out of prison. I did this. This is on me as much as it is on Ryan. I convinced Margaret to say she did it, to say it could never have been Ryan. I am just as guilty as he is. What have I done?
“Now that she’s out of the picture, do you think we could be more than friends?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe, but you’ve always been with Tracy, so I guess it didn’t really cross my mind.”
“And now you’re with Emmitt.”
“Yeah, Emmitt.” I don’t like that he’s even mentioned Emmitt. The way he says it, like he’ll push Emmitt out of the way if necessary.
“Don’t sound so excited.”
“No, he’s great. I just . . . this is a lot to take in.”
Ryan leans over the table. “It’s hard to understand any other person completely. The best and worst thing about life.”
He kisses me.
I want to hate it. I want to hate him, but I realize immediately that it’s something I’ve wanted to do for years but denied myself for some reason. It’s slow, calm, and clean, but filled with passion. So much passion that I imagine he’s been waiting for this moment, too.
We pull away and look at each other, smiling.
We say nothing.
There is nothing to say.
Acknowledgments
I literally could not have done this without my parents’ support. They allowed me to pursue this crazy dream and not give up on it even after more rejections than any of us could count. They read and read again and read some more, offering invaluable feedback and using up too many red pens. I share the pain of the process and the thrill of success with them, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you to Debbie, my aunt, and Linda, my friend, for reading this book in a day. It was then I knew I could never let this book sit on my computer. I had to find a way to share it with others.
Thank you to the team at Woodhall Press for believing in this novel right along with me. They helped me improve it and grow as a writer.
Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness helped me as a writer to think outside the box and continue to not just my craft but how I go about getting it into the world. I would not be in this position today without this wonderful collection of writers and the opportunities they provide.
To all the friends, acquaintances, and contacts who read this and offered advice, criticism, constructive and otherwise, and caught those few lingering typos, you made me a better writer, even if it was hard to see in that moment. You helped me take notes and turn them into productivity. In the end, that’s what writing is all about.
About the Author
Laura Dembowski is a writer and blogger born in Southeast Michigan. She spends her days at the computer writing novels and screenplays and in the kitchen testing new recipes for her blog.
Her family is a huge part of her life, and family dynamics inspire most of her writing.
For more information, visit Laura on her blog at: https://piesandplots.netand on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram: @piesandplots
