Page 87 of Hard Rock Love

“I don’t think anyone deserves to be hurt.”

He turned those tortured eyes on me. The vibrant green of them made my insides flip. Through the pained expression, I could see the warm, kind, funny guy he was inside.

“I really am sorry,” he said. “I wish I could take it back.”

“And I wish I had been more understanding,” I said. “So I forgive you.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

I stopped in the middle of the path and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest.

“Really,” I said, my voice muffled. “I hate that we had a fight. All I wanted to do these last few days was talk to you.”

“Then why did you ignore my text messages?” he asked, sounding wounded.

“I was worried what they might say. I wanted an apology, but I didn’t know if I’d get one.” I squeezed my eyes closed, embarrassed to admit where my thoughts had gone. “I thought maybe you’d tell me I was being too sensitive. That you thought I was overreacting. Or that you’d realized I wasn’t good enough for a person like you, and that you didn’t want to be with someone like me anymore.”

“That’s crazy talk.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “There’s no one else I’d rather be with than you.”

I raised my head to meet his eyes.

“And there’s no one else I’d rather be with than you,” I told him.

Seth cupped my cheek and lowered his lips to mine. We met each other in a single slow, soft kiss. When we parted we simply stood there, staring into each other's eyes.

He brushed a lock of hair from my cheek.

“We probably shouldn’t stand in the middle of the path like this,” he murmured. “We’re going to get run over.”

I nodded, in a swoony daze, and we continued on, hand in hand.

Seth and I eventually found ourselves on the other side of campus. We settled on a soft grassy hill near an outdoor pavilion where a bunch of students were acting out King Lear. We had to speak quietly so as not to interrupt the performance, but we continued our conversation.

“Will you let me make it up to you?” Seth said. “I’ll take you somewhere nice.”

“I don’t need fancy restaurants as an apology,” I told him. “Besides, nothing’s ever going to be better than that Harry Potter exhibit.”

“Damn, I blew my wad too soon,” he grinned. “I should have saved that for a day when Ireallyfucked things up.”

“Are you planning on fucking up again?”

“Hell no.” Seth raised a hand to his chest. “I’ll be on my best behavior from now on, I promise.”

“Since when do you know anything about good behavior?” I said.

Seth turned to me, his knees bumping mine. The students acting out King Lear were all but forgotten. It was as if we were the only two people in the world. He took my hands in his, bringing them to his lap.

“Then I promise I’ll at least think before I speak,” he said.

“And I’ll try not to run away when things get difficult,” I said. “I’ll stay and we can talk it out.”

“That’s very mature of you,” he said. “Are you trying to make me look bad in comparison?”

“Are you admitting you’re immature?”

“I’m aware of my flaws,” he said.

“I don’t think you are,” I said. “Not really. You like to joke and play around, but you commit to things, and you’re thoughtful, and you’re always thinking of others first. Sometimes to a fault,” I added.