into what we had. She’s a good person, and we were celebrating with friends. I got wrapped up in the moment, and that’s when you walked in. Nothing is going on with her.”
He stops and takes a deep breath. His eyes are pleading with me to forgive him, to accept what he’s telling me, but I know it’s not that easy.
“Are you sharing a room with her?”
Tyler opens his mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. He drops his head and I know the answer before he confirms it. When he looks up at me again, his eyes are different, panicked.
“Nothing is going on, I promise. She’s sleeping in her bed and I’m in mine. She knows it’s over between us. We’re friends, I swear. Do you have any guy friends?”
I nod, thinking back to our group of friends in college. I’ve shared a bed with some of my friends before and nothing happened. But we also hadn’t been sleeping together a few months earlier.
“I want to believe you, but this is hard for me. I felt like... I thought...”
“I did, too, Brooke. I felt all the same things you did when we slept together. It felt right, we felt right. And I don’t want to mess that up. Please, Brooke, please give me another chance.”
He takes my hands in his, his eyes begging me to trust him. I want to believe him. I want to know he’s telling me the truth. But I need time to process all this, maybe even Paige and Tiffany’s help.
“I need some time. I want to believe you, but this is all hard. Seeing you with her is difficult. She’s still in love with you, and I don’t blame her. You’re comfortable with her, and you say it’s over, but watching you two, I’d never know that.”
“I promise you, it’s over. I would never lie to you, Brooke. I care too much about you to risk what we have, what I hope we have.”
I turn away from him, trying to keep it together. If I believe him, there’s no reason to stay away from him. But I still see the way they are together. I need time.
Tyler says he understands when I ask him to give me some time. He says he won’t bother me again on the cruise and it’s up to me when I’m ready to talk again. He thanks me for listening to him, for giving him a chance to speak. But I can tell he was hoping I would jump in his arms and forgive the whole thing. He walks to the door with a defeated slump to his broad shoulders. He stops before he pushes through to look back at me. I give him a small smile and he looks lost, like he doesn’t know where he is or where to go.
I know I’ve hurt him, but I need to make sure I don’t get hurt anymore.
Once the door closes behind him, Paige and Tiffany are at my side. “Are you okay?” “Do you want to leave?”
I tell them, “I’m not sure what I want. I think I’m going to head back to the room for a little while. Y’all have fun.”
I get up and walk out of the club, climbing the stairs slowly to my room. I let the door close behind me and walk to the balcony to think. And to cry.
CHAPTER TEN
Tyler
Twenty-four hours. It’s been twenty-four hours since I told Brooke the truth about everything. She said she would let me know something, but she still isn’t talking to me. I’ve seen her on the boat more today than any other day, at breakfast this morning, then at dinner. She glanced my way after dinner. And flashed me a look of pity.
I’ve spent the time wishing there was something else I could say. If I could talk to her friends, or talk to her again I could convince her to give me another chance. If I could kiss her, she would know how much I want her, how much I want to be with her. She’s the only one I want. Even if she denies me now, I will find a way back to her. Brooke admitted that she felt the same way, she felt the same connection. If she felt it once, she will feel it again.
But for now, I think I got my answer. This is too much. If she wanted to be with me, she would have told me by now. She’s had chances today. She doesn’t want me. I know
He stops and takes a deep breath. His eyes are pleading with me to forgive him, to accept what he’s telling me, but I know it’s not that easy.
“Are you sharing a room with her?”
Tyler opens his mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. He drops his head and I know the answer before he confirms it. When he looks up at me again, his eyes are different, panicked.
“Nothing is going on, I promise. She’s sleeping in her bed and I’m in mine. She knows it’s over between us. We’re friends, I swear. Do you have any guy friends?”
I nod, thinking back to our group of friends in college. I’ve shared a bed with some of my friends before and nothing happened. But we also hadn’t been sleeping together a few months earlier.
“I want to believe you, but this is hard for me. I felt like... I thought...”
“I did, too, Brooke. I felt all the same things you did when we slept together. It felt right, we felt right. And I don’t want to mess that up. Please, Brooke, please give me another chance.”
He takes my hands in his, his eyes begging me to trust him. I want to believe him. I want to know he’s telling me the truth. But I need time to process all this, maybe even Paige and Tiffany’s help.
“I need some time. I want to believe you, but this is all hard. Seeing you with her is difficult. She’s still in love with you, and I don’t blame her. You’re comfortable with her, and you say it’s over, but watching you two, I’d never know that.”
“I promise you, it’s over. I would never lie to you, Brooke. I care too much about you to risk what we have, what I hope we have.”
I turn away from him, trying to keep it together. If I believe him, there’s no reason to stay away from him. But I still see the way they are together. I need time.
Tyler says he understands when I ask him to give me some time. He says he won’t bother me again on the cruise and it’s up to me when I’m ready to talk again. He thanks me for listening to him, for giving him a chance to speak. But I can tell he was hoping I would jump in his arms and forgive the whole thing. He walks to the door with a defeated slump to his broad shoulders. He stops before he pushes through to look back at me. I give him a small smile and he looks lost, like he doesn’t know where he is or where to go.
I know I’ve hurt him, but I need to make sure I don’t get hurt anymore.
Once the door closes behind him, Paige and Tiffany are at my side. “Are you okay?” “Do you want to leave?”
I tell them, “I’m not sure what I want. I think I’m going to head back to the room for a little while. Y’all have fun.”
I get up and walk out of the club, climbing the stairs slowly to my room. I let the door close behind me and walk to the balcony to think. And to cry.
CHAPTER TEN
Tyler
Twenty-four hours. It’s been twenty-four hours since I told Brooke the truth about everything. She said she would let me know something, but she still isn’t talking to me. I’ve seen her on the boat more today than any other day, at breakfast this morning, then at dinner. She glanced my way after dinner. And flashed me a look of pity.
I’ve spent the time wishing there was something else I could say. If I could talk to her friends, or talk to her again I could convince her to give me another chance. If I could kiss her, she would know how much I want her, how much I want to be with her. She’s the only one I want. Even if she denies me now, I will find a way back to her. Brooke admitted that she felt the same way, she felt the same connection. If she felt it once, she will feel it again.
But for now, I think I got my answer. This is too much. If she wanted to be with me, she would have told me by now. She’s had chances today. She doesn’t want me. I know
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