Page 102 of Settling the Score

So he’d left to protect her, so that he’d never hurt her. Just like he’d said.

Because he’d seen enough hurt in his life.

A tear slid down her cheek.

‘Oh, babe.’ Chuck reached out and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her to him. ‘That’s no good.’

‘I know. I’m sorry.’ She dashed away her tears.

‘Don’t apologise.’ He stroked her shoulder. ‘But why are you sitting here, crying over a guy who is so obviously in love with you?’

She considered that carefully. ‘Because I don’t want to be with him.’

‘But you love him.’

It wasn’t even a question. How transparent was she?

She shook her head anyway. ‘It’s not that easy.’

‘That’s not an answer.’

‘Well, I don’t know how to answer. It’s just, complicated.’

‘So?’

‘You’re annoying me now,’ she said on a half laugh, half sob.

‘I’m just saying, if it’s complicated, what are you going to do about it?’

She stared at him.

‘Lots of things are complicated in life. In my opinion, they don’t get any easier by pretending they don’t exist.’

She turned away from him and stared at the dam, with the little pinpricks of light reflecting off it, thanks to the stars and inky-black sky.

‘Didn’t you guys break up way back when?’

She nodded stiffly.

‘And yet you’re still in love with him, and he’s in love with you.’

‘So what?’

‘So what makes you think you’re not still going to feel like this in another ten years’ time? Twenty?’

She turned back to Chuck, her heart racing now.

‘You get one life. One.’ He lifted his finger for emphasis. ‘If I was you, I’d ask myself if this is really how I want to spend it.’

She swallowed, the question suddenly superseding everything else that had been swirling around in her mind for over a week, over a decade, every hesitation and doubt, every long-held feeling of hurt and blame. And suddenly she was standing, her lungs filling with air as though she was preparing for a marathon.

‘I need to ask you another favour, Chuck. I know I already owe you a whole big bunch?—’

‘Name it,’ he invited.

And so, she did.

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