Page 7 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty (Delectable Protectors #5)
Warmth floods her eyes as she stares at me, her tongue darting out to wet her full bottom lip. She clearly caught the double meaning of the words, not that I was trying to hide it at all.
“I think it’s time I go back to my room.” I don’t move, though, part of me hoping that she’s about to give me a reason to stay.
“Now you’re running away.” Her fingers move over my shoulder, tracing down my arm before climbing back up. “I thought I was the one accused of doing that.”
I lean in. “This is a bad idea.”
Mia rolls her eyes. “You need to stop overthinking everything. If you keep doing that, then you’re going to spend the rest of your life stressed and trying to figure it all out.”
“You need to worry a little more.” I pick at the strand to make the tension unravel between the two of us, wanting it to fall apart just so it doesn’t later.
“I didn’t think we were going to start arguing again tonight.”
“And yet here we are.” I motion between us, my fingertips grazing her collarbone. Electricity crackles between us. She leans closer. I don’t think there’s much more distance to close between the two of us, and yet it feels like a chasm has opened.
She’s insisting on building the bridge across it. I can see the determination in her eyes.
It scares me. That determination makes me want to run for the hills. I don’t think being friends is a good idea, because I know that once we’re friends, I’m going to want so much more with her.
I’m going to risk too much for her, and when it comes time to leave at the end of the season, she’s going to want me to stay with her. And I’m going to want to continue to the next adventure.
It’s better to end this before things ever have a chance to kick off.
“I know you think we should be friends, but it’s not going to happen,” I say, pulling back to put more distance between us.
Mia’s fingers trace patterns on my shoulder before she pulls back entirely. “You know, I thought we were starting to make some progress.”
“What progress could we possibly be making right now?” I motion to everything around us before standing and patting my thigh. Honey gets to her feet, but she looks miserable doing it.
“I don’t know what’s going on right now.
” Mia’s eyebrows pull together. “I thought we were having a good time, and now here you are about to start insulting me again. And don’t even say that you’re not because I can see it on your face.
So, actually, you know what, go ahead and say it.
Get out everything you need to say because this is the last chance you’re going to have to say it. ”
As much as I want to fight the urge to say everything that’s on my mind right now, there’s a part of me that craves the self-sabotage.
The part that wants to send her running so if something does happen between the two of us, I don’t have to be the one to make the hard choice at the end of the season.
I can make it right now and save everyone the pain.
“Oh, the last chance, is it? Why? You about to go running back to the city with your tail between your legs like the vapid little party girl you are?”
It’s a low blow. One that capitalizes on the horrible thoughts going through my head, the ones I know aren’t true after watching her work over the last week.
“Excuse me?” She shoots to her feet, getting closer to me. Except this time, it doesn’t feel like she’s about to kiss me. No, this time, it feels like I’ve stepped into a steaming pile of crap that I don’t know how to walk out of.
I always did know how to put my foot in my mouth.
“You heard what I said.” My chest nearly brushes against hers as I loom over her.
Looks like it’s time to double down, even though this is only going to hurt more.
“You’re so busy trying to fill the void that’s inside of you by convincing people to like you that you’re treating all of this like a joke.
You think that I’m the one with the problem, but unlike you, I’m here to do a job. ”
Her eyes shine like she’s fighting back tears, her cheeks red and splotchy. “I don’t know where this new attitude just came from, but I thought we were having fun.”
“We weren’t.”
“Well, then, I hope you have a good rest of your night.” She stares up at me, one tear slipping down her cheek.
She angrily brushes it away. “Maybe before you judge me, you should actually get to know me. You might think that I’m a shallow party girl who just knows how to laugh and have a good time, but you don’t know the first thing about me if that’s what you believe. ”
She weaves through the bodies, gyrating to the music, heading to a room. The door shuts with a heavy thud and I’m left standing in the middle of a party I didn’t want, wondering where the hell I went wrong.
Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly where I went wrong. I thought it was possible for us to get along.
But as I head back to my room, there is no shaking the feeling that maybe she’s right. Maybe I don’t know how to have fun. Maybe somewhere along the way, that got lost, and now who I am isn’t who I’ve ever wanted to be.
With a sigh I turn, heading to Mia’s room instead of my own and knocking on the door. Not a sound comes from inside, and she doesn’t get up to open it either. I don’t push her, not tonight.
I’ll try to fix this in the morning.