Page 71 of Legacy

“Let’s just relax. Watch a movie. Ignore those stupid bitches so that way I don’t have to go and find them and kick them out of town again.”

Felicity’s lips twitched. “Honestly, they just looked bored. Like I was fun to kick around for a few moments before they went back to their real lives, or vacation, or whatever. I truly do not understand them.”

“I never understood why you were friends with them to begin with.”

She let out a sigh and shrugged. “They weren’t always like that.”

I gave her a look.

“Truly. They had their good moments. At least when the four were together. And Laurelin was always nice.”

“One of them wasn’t Laurelin?” I asked, and she let out a laugh.

“You do realize they’re just jealous, right?” I asked as I pulled out one of my IPAs from the fridge.

“Why?” Felicity’s eyes widened. “Why would they be jealous?”

“Because you really don’t care what they think. You were always like that. Hell, you were fine just staying at home alone that one night.” I cursed. “Well, at least at first.”

“I don’t want to talk about that night.”

I reached forward and pushed her hair back from her face, cupping her cheek. “I don’t want to either. But those girls? They’re not happy. You can see it all over their faces. They wanted to come here, make sure that you’re just as unhappy, so they can feel better about themselves.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is fucking true. Hell, Felicity. You have a family that supports you, a town that you love, and loves you. You saw all of those people in the Flicked Bean. Even Fiona was nice.”

Felicity threw up her free hand. “Oh my God. Right? I mean, Fiona stood up for me. In her own way. Maybe I am in a dream, or this is a sign of an apocalypse.”

“You’re not in a dream, and this isn’t an apocalypse. But it does seem like it sometimes.”

“I’m just surprised that she even stood up for me a little bit.”

“Maybe she was bored.”

“You know, that seems a lot more likely than anything else.”

“They’re just jealous of you. And they’ll skedaddle out of Ashford Creek with their tails between their legs, and you won’t have to see them again. You have your own life here. Your own future. You’ve got this.”

“Skedaddle?” Felicity asked, her lips pursed. “Who says that word?”

“I’m an old man. It’s what I do.”

“We both know you’re not that old.”

“I’m older than you,” I mumbled, gesturing towards the living room. “Go take a seat. We’ll find something to watch.”

“Why am I here, Callum?”

Why did I like the sound of my name on her lips? She shouldn’t be here. She should be at home or with her friends. I shouldn’t be anywhere in her vicinity.

Ever since I’d had a taste of her, though, I couldn’t walk away. It was so damn stupid. But I craved her. I wanted more. And the part of me that was smart wasn’t really listening anymore.

“The honest answer is I don’t know,” I said after a moment.

“You don’t know…” Her voice trailed off.

“No, Felicity. I don’t. I haven’t known what I’m doing with you for two years. But we’re friends.” I pause. “We are friends, right?”