Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“Reese—” Before she could get any other words out, she found herself in his arms, his lips on hers. This kiss felt like… closure.
Then he was gone, moving away from her, getting in his truck, and leaving.
Her knees threatened to buckle as she watched him drive off.
She felt Alex move up behind her, felt his hands on her shoulders, giving her the silent support she needed. She wanted to bring Reese back, to tell him he wasn’t trash, that he deserved her as much as she deserved him. She wanted to tell him she’d never wanted anyone or anything more than him.
She wanted to tell Reese she was in love with him.
But instead, she turned around, gripped onto her brother, and cried into his chest.
32
The last weeks of school for seniors had passed quickly, and during that time, Keira hadn’t seen much of Reese. The times they did cross paths, he never looked at her or spoke, despite her wanting him to pull her in and embrace her every single time.
When she did attempt to speak with him, because she didn’t want things to be this way, he was distracted, flippant even.
It was her fault he felt the need to give her “space.” He was taking it literally, as in no contact.
Graduation had come and gone, yet she didn’t feel any kind of excitement with the prospect of starting a new chapter of her life. Reese hadn’t even walked for his diploma, even though she knew he’d had honors.
The pain she felt at the thought of him not being there, of him not accepting such a great accomplishment all because of her, had her regretting so many things. She wanted to go to him, to tell him the things that seemed bottled up inside her, that she’d made a mistake. Time wasn’t making things easier. In fact, it was so much harder.
He consumed her thoughts, night and day, and all she wanted were his big, strong arms wrapped around her. She’d kept the majority of her feelings to herself, only speaking with Molly and Ian about a little of what she felt. It was too personal, too hard to say the things she felt out loud.
She sat on her bed and stared out the window. She couldn't see much aside from the clouds, but it didn’t matter what her focal point was. All she thought about was Reese.
“Keira, you aren’t even listening to me.”
Keira looked to her side. Molly had come over to talk about classes she’d be taking when she started school. But Keira hadn’t been able to focus on anything her best friend said.
“I know you’re thinking about him,” Molly said softly. “You’re always thinking about him.”
She exhaled. It was the truth.
“Why don’t you just go talk to him?”
She slowly shook her head. “He’s avoiding me. He’s giving me time like I stupidly asked for.”
Molly was silent for a second before saying, “Why didn’t you tell me you’re in love with him?”
Keira closed her eyes and shifted so she was now on her back. “That obvious, huh?”
Molly snorted. “It’s been obvious since day one, girl.”
“It's… complicated.”
“That’s what people say when it really isn’t.”
Now it was Keira’s turn to snort in amusement.
Keira had kept all this to herself, hadn’t even told her parents. They’d been so wrapped up in their own lives they hadn’t seen her moping around the house this whole time.
Molly laid down next to her. “I may not know Reese, but from what I’ve seen, how he’s acted, especially with you, and how his home life is, it’s not hard to say he’s a tortured soul.”
Keira looked over at Molly. “I’m all about giving him time, but I can see how much you’re hurting, and when I saw him at school… Keira, he’s a guy with a broken heart.”
“When you saw Reese and I together, what did you see?”
Molly’s face softened, and she smiled. “You and these damn deep questions.” She chuckled softly. “I’m going to tell you exactly what I think, but I want you to really listen to me, okay?”
Keira nodded, not really knowing where this was going. “Before you and him were… whatever it is you guys are, I noticed he kept to himself, always had his head low, and didn’t engage unless confronted. He only had Nate as a friend, so that should tell you a lot.” They both laughed. “Then you came around, and the change in him was evident. The whole freaking school was talking about it. You were too engrossed in each other to realize what was going on.”
Molly but kept her eyes on Keira. “I think the way things turned out sucks in a big way, but ask yourself if you can go off to college without a backward glance. Can you put what you and Reese had behind you just because he did what you asked, because fucking BMA drama got in the way?”