Page 25 of Tell No Lies

“Since we kissed?”

I froze. I wasn’t really expecting him to be so blunt.

“Aubrey, I was out of line that night. I never should have …”

“You regret it?” I had to interrupt him. I couldn’t hear him say that he never should have kissed me or that he didn’t mean it.

“Yes and no. I regret kissing my best friend’s little sister, but I don’t regret kissing you.”

I was silent, trying to decipher his words.

“Before your head explodes, let me finish. You’re seventeen. You’re in high school. You shouldn’t be with someone like me.”

I opened my mouth, but he held a finger up, asking me to stop.

“You should be going out with guys from school and hanging out with your girlfriends. Competition season is starting soon, and you need to focus on that. You can’t afford any distractions right now. You have a high GPA, and you need to maintain that and dance in order to get into your dream school.”

He talks to Brandon too much.

He broke eye contact and sighed. “So please, just focus on enjoying your life now. You never get this time back, and I would hate myself if I was selfish enough to try to take it away from you.”

My heart was breaking with each word. He cared. I stopped for a moment and realized what I was thinking. I sounded delusional, but he was basically saying he liked me.

“So, I’m just supposed to pretend that there are no feelings here?” I gestured between us.

“There can’t be anything, Aubrey. That’s what you need to understand. You’re seventeen, and I’m nineteen. It’s illegal.”

I sat back, stunned. “I’ll be eighteen in November …”

“You’re still in high school. Do you think Brandon would be okay with it?”

Hmm. I hadn’t even thought about Brandon. Oh gosh, he would kill us both.

I let out a heavy sigh and felt myself deflate. “It meant something to me, Carter.”

I felt as if he was avoiding looking at me.

“Me too.”

“So, we just go on as if nothing happened? You’re just another big brother to me?”

I watched him shudder from the corner of my eye. “No. I’m not your brother.” His voice had become deep and gruff. “I’m another friend. I’m here for you for anything, but I want you to enjoy being in high school. Enjoy being a teenager.”

“I can enjoy being a teenager, and dance, and get good grades while being with you.”

He rubbed his hand over his face, clearly as frustrated as I was. “It can’t work, okay? The sooner we accept it and move on, the better.”

“I don’t want to be with anyone else. Every guy I date hurts me, but I trust you.”

“Then don’t date anyone.” His eyes were pleading with me to listen. “I’m just asking you to understand. I don’t want to hurt you, but this is how it has to be.”

My shattered heart fell to the floor with each step he took to the door. Without a word, he let himself out, never once turning back. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited. He would come back. He would never just leave like that.

Seconds had turned into minutes when I finally opened my eyes and allowed the tears to fall. He’d meant it. He didn’t want me.

Ten

My alarm was the enemy when it went off Monday morning. I glared at it with half-open eyes, willing it to shut up on its own. No luck.