Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
“Maybe I should change,” I worry, glancing at Ellie, Penny, and Hollis, who are perched on my bed like my personal hype squad.
“Don’t you dare,” Ellie fires out. “You look perfect.”
She’d say that even if I didn’t.
“She’s right,” Hollis chimes in. “You look great. Don’t change a thing.”
Penny nods her agreement, always the one to stand in solidarity.
It would be easier if I knew what he has planned. Since I don’t, I played it safe with something that could pass for dressy or casual: a flowy maxi skirt, fitted tank, and my favorite broken-in denim jacket that always makes me feel a little more like myself.
It felt right at the time, but now, with the clock ticking down and my nerves creeping in…I’m not so sure.
I throw my hands up, frustrated at myself. “I should just call the whole thing off. I’m insane for even agreeing to this.”
So, why did I? Why didn’t I just say no? Who cares if I went back on my word. It's Linc, and he’s done far worse.
Because it has nothing to do with your word, and you know it…
I push the pesky little voice away, hating what a bitch she can be sometimes.
“Okay, that’s it.” Ellie pushes from the bed, slightly struggling under her belly weight.
It’s adorable, and something I would tease her about, if she didn’t look like a woman on a mission.
She comes to stand before me, planting her hands on my shoulders, and levels me with that steel-core stare of hers. “It’s just a date, Harlow. That’s it. A date.” Her words are slow, like if she says them calm enough, I might believe them. “It doesn’t have to be anything more or less than that.”
If only it were that simple, but with Linc, it never is.
They don’t understand that because they don’t know everything. Sure, they know about Vancouver. I had to tell them after the bowling alley blowup, something I still feel guilty about.
What they don’t know is how unforgettable that night truly was. How every kiss, every touch, every whispered word carved its way into my soul. It stripped me bare, leaving me vulnerable in a way I swore I’d never be with him again.
“There’s something I never told you,” I whisper, my throat tightening.
Their eyes lock on me, the air thickening.
“Vancouver wasn’t the first time something happened between us…”
Gasps ripple through the room.
“We also kissed at Heart Mountain.”
Silence crashes over the room.
Ellie and Penny’s eyes wide.
Hollis, though, doesn’t miss a beat. “I knew it!” she exclaims, scrambling to her knees. “The second you said you kissed a guy there, I guessed it was Linc. I told them!” She jabs a finger at Penny and Ellie. “Neither of you believed me.”
Ellie finally finds her voice. “I didn’t believe it because I thought I’d know.” She gives me a light shake. “How could you keep this from me, Harlow? Me, of all people.”
Guilt floods my chest. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. It just…happened.”
“When?” Penny presses.
“A few days before I moved.”
I go on to tell them everything. About the fight with my parents. About how he followed me to the mountain and stayed. How he was kind in a way I didn’t expect, how the kiss felt almost magical. For a few stolen minutes, I thought I’d been wrong about him—that maybe he wasn’t just the boy who made my life hell.
Until I went to say goodbye and found out he was out on a date with Jessica Mason.
“Ouch.” Hollis winces, her bravado dimming.
“Wait.” Ellie frowns. “I don’t remember him dating Jessica.”
“He says he didn’t.”
Penny tilts her head. “You don’t believe him?”
“I do. It’s just…” I hesitate, trying to find the right words. “It’s hard to forget that feeling, ya know?”
Penny’s gaze softens with understanding.
“I get it,” Ellie says. “Trust can be scary, especially given the history you and Linc have.”
I grunt at the understatement.
“But sometimes what scares us most can turn into something unexpectedly beautiful.”
Penny cuts back in, her voice low. “Or it can leave you with scars that never heal.”
We all know she’s thinking about Dawson. What Ellie and Hollis don’t know is the truth she once whispered to me, a secret so devastating she’s never shared it with anyone else, not even Dawson.
“You’re right, it can hurt,” Ellie agrees, her gaze softening. “But if you could erase it all, to never have loved him, would you?”
The room stills at the question, all of us eager to know her answer.
“No,” Penny whispers, eyes falling to her lap. “I’d still do it all over again. I’d still want the good times.”
Hearing that only makes my heart hurt more for her.
Ellie’s eyes meet mine again, soft with understanding. “It’s a risk, but that doesn’t mean it has to end in regret. You’ll never know unless you take the chance.”
“You also don’t have to decide that right now,” Hollis adds gently.