“No! I said I don’t love you. I…I hardly even know you, Tamani. A handful of afternoons, a trip to a festival—that doesn’t equal love!” she insisted. She didn’t know what else to do. He was right; leaving him with hope for their future every time she saw him was cruel. Unspeakably cruel. She had to make him believe it wouldn’t happen. It would hurt less in the long run. “I’m going to see David,” she said, hurling the last of her ammunition at him and turning before she could see his reaction. She wasn’t sure she could bear it.
She walked toward the cabin, expecting Tamani to stop at any moment. But at the edge of the forest, he was still right on her tail. “Stop following me,” she hissed.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to order me around,” he said tersely.
They broke from the tree line together, Tamani just behind Laurel’s left shoulder. Laurel’s eyes met David’s instantly…a second before he saw Tamani. His eyes went back to her again, full of hurt and accusation. He scooted off the trunk of her Sentra and started to walk toward his car.
“David!” Laurel called, lifting her foot to run.
Tamani’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her around and before she could protest, his lips came down hard against hers, his kiss urgent and demanding and full of a heat that swept Laurel up for two seconds before she pushed him violently away.
She looked toward David, hoping he had missed it.
He was staring right at them.
David’s and Tamani’s eyes met and locked.
Tamani still had a hold of Laurel’s wrist. She yanked it away. “Go away,” she said. “I want you to just go!” Her voice was starting to tremble. “I mean it!” she yelled. “Go!”
His face was tense, his jaw flexed as he stared at her. She could hardly stand to meet his eyes. They were an ocean of betrayal. They probed her, searching for the smallest sign that she didn’t mean it. That spark of hope that never seemed to go out.
She refused to drop her gaze. It was better this way. Someday maybe…she couldn’t even think about it. He had to go. He had to leave. It wasn’t fair to keep going on like this.
Please leave, she thought desperately. Please go before I change my mind. Go.
As if hearing her silent thoughts, Tamani turned without a word and walked silently into the trees, disappearing before her eyes.
Laurel couldn’t look away from the spot where Tamani had been just a second earlier. She knew she needed to. The longer she kept looking the harder things were going to be with David.
She ripped her eyes away. David was already at his car door.
“David!” she called. “David, wait!” He paused but didn’t turn to her. “David, don’t go.”
“Why not?” he asked, his eyes locked on the driver’s seat, refusing to look at her face. “I saw what happened. All that’s left is for me to imagine what I didn’t see.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she said, guilt and shame pounding through her.
“Wasn’t it?” He turned now and faced her, his expression flat. If he had looked sad, or even angry, she could have accepted that. But he looked neutral, like he didn’t care at all.
“No,” she said, but her voice was quiet.
“Then what was it like, Laurel? Because I’ll tell you how things look from my point of view. You lied to me to come out and see him, to be with him!”
“I didn’t lie,” Laurel protested weakly.
“You didn’t say the words, but you lied all the same.” He paused, his jaw clenched, his hands tense on the car door. “I trusted you, Laurel. I have always trusted you. And just because you didn’t actually tell me a lie doesn’t mean you didn’t break my trust.” He looked up at her. “I got off work early because I was worried about you. I was afraid for you. And when your mom told me you were at Chelsea’s I called her and she didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. And you know what my next thought was? That you were dead, Laurel! I thought you were dead!”
Laurel remembered having the same thoughts about David on Monday and looked down at her feet, ashamed.
“And then I realized that there was one place—one person,” he said scornfully, “who you would sneak off to go see. And I come out here to make sure you’re safe and I find you kissing him!”
“I wasn’t kissing him!” Laurel yelled. “He was kissing me.”
David was silent, his jaw muscles working furiously. “Maybe this time,” he said, his voice steely. “But I saw the way he kissed you, and I promise you, that wasn’t the first time. Go ahead, deny it. I’m listening.”
She looked at the ground, the car, the trees, anywhere but at those accusing eyes.
“I knew it. I knew it!”
He slipped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door, his engine roaring immediately to life. He backed up quickly, just missing Laurel as she stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. He rolled down his window. “I don’t…” He paused, the only sign of weakness he’d shown the entire conversation. “I don’t want to see you for a while. Don’t call. When…if I decide I’m ready, I’ll find you.”
Laurel watched him drive away, finally letting her tears come. For a second she glanced back at the trees, but there was nothing there for her either. She slid into her car and let her forehead fall against the steering wheel, sobbing. How had everything gone so wrong?
She walked toward the cabin, expecting Tamani to stop at any moment. But at the edge of the forest, he was still right on her tail. “Stop following me,” she hissed.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to order me around,” he said tersely.
They broke from the tree line together, Tamani just behind Laurel’s left shoulder. Laurel’s eyes met David’s instantly…a second before he saw Tamani. His eyes went back to her again, full of hurt and accusation. He scooted off the trunk of her Sentra and started to walk toward his car.
“David!” Laurel called, lifting her foot to run.
Tamani’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her around and before she could protest, his lips came down hard against hers, his kiss urgent and demanding and full of a heat that swept Laurel up for two seconds before she pushed him violently away.
She looked toward David, hoping he had missed it.
He was staring right at them.
David’s and Tamani’s eyes met and locked.
Tamani still had a hold of Laurel’s wrist. She yanked it away. “Go away,” she said. “I want you to just go!” Her voice was starting to tremble. “I mean it!” she yelled. “Go!”
His face was tense, his jaw flexed as he stared at her. She could hardly stand to meet his eyes. They were an ocean of betrayal. They probed her, searching for the smallest sign that she didn’t mean it. That spark of hope that never seemed to go out.
She refused to drop her gaze. It was better this way. Someday maybe…she couldn’t even think about it. He had to go. He had to leave. It wasn’t fair to keep going on like this.
Please leave, she thought desperately. Please go before I change my mind. Go.
As if hearing her silent thoughts, Tamani turned without a word and walked silently into the trees, disappearing before her eyes.
Laurel couldn’t look away from the spot where Tamani had been just a second earlier. She knew she needed to. The longer she kept looking the harder things were going to be with David.
She ripped her eyes away. David was already at his car door.
“David!” she called. “David, wait!” He paused but didn’t turn to her. “David, don’t go.”
“Why not?” he asked, his eyes locked on the driver’s seat, refusing to look at her face. “I saw what happened. All that’s left is for me to imagine what I didn’t see.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she said, guilt and shame pounding through her.
“Wasn’t it?” He turned now and faced her, his expression flat. If he had looked sad, or even angry, she could have accepted that. But he looked neutral, like he didn’t care at all.
“No,” she said, but her voice was quiet.
“Then what was it like, Laurel? Because I’ll tell you how things look from my point of view. You lied to me to come out and see him, to be with him!”
“I didn’t lie,” Laurel protested weakly.
“You didn’t say the words, but you lied all the same.” He paused, his jaw clenched, his hands tense on the car door. “I trusted you, Laurel. I have always trusted you. And just because you didn’t actually tell me a lie doesn’t mean you didn’t break my trust.” He looked up at her. “I got off work early because I was worried about you. I was afraid for you. And when your mom told me you were at Chelsea’s I called her and she didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. And you know what my next thought was? That you were dead, Laurel! I thought you were dead!”
Laurel remembered having the same thoughts about David on Monday and looked down at her feet, ashamed.
“And then I realized that there was one place—one person,” he said scornfully, “who you would sneak off to go see. And I come out here to make sure you’re safe and I find you kissing him!”
“I wasn’t kissing him!” Laurel yelled. “He was kissing me.”
David was silent, his jaw muscles working furiously. “Maybe this time,” he said, his voice steely. “But I saw the way he kissed you, and I promise you, that wasn’t the first time. Go ahead, deny it. I’m listening.”
She looked at the ground, the car, the trees, anywhere but at those accusing eyes.
“I knew it. I knew it!”
He slipped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door, his engine roaring immediately to life. He backed up quickly, just missing Laurel as she stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. He rolled down his window. “I don’t…” He paused, the only sign of weakness he’d shown the entire conversation. “I don’t want to see you for a while. Don’t call. When…if I decide I’m ready, I’ll find you.”
Laurel watched him drive away, finally letting her tears come. For a second she glanced back at the trees, but there was nothing there for her either. She slid into her car and let her forehead fall against the steering wheel, sobbing. How had everything gone so wrong?
