“Okay…” He placed his hand on my knee and squeezed it, making me feel anything but aroused. I felt guilty and wrong.
He drove around mindlessly for nearly an hour—repeating some of the same streets over and over, and when I was finally able to think straight, I turned to face him.
“Can we stop there?” I pointed at Gayle’s.
“Are you hungry?”
“No, I um…” I paused. “I need to talk to you.”
“Is it about us?”
“Something like that…” I took a deep breath as he pulled into the parking lot.
He held the door open for me and we walked inside together.
I started to walk toward a booth in the back, but I spotted Carter, Josh, Nicole, and a few other people sitting across the room.
Of course they would think to come here afterwards, too…
I shot them all a short wave, and Carter’s deep blue eyes met mine.
Sean pressed his hand against the small of my back and led me over to a table, but I couldn’t stop looking at Carter.
“Ari?” Sean asked. “Why does it look like you’re going to cry?” He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me.
“I’m okay…” I realized Carter wasn’t taking his eyes off me, either.
“What do we need to talk about, Ari?” Sean asked.
“Us…” I answered him without looking at his face. “I don’t think—”
“You don’t think what?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to keep that promise I made at the party.”
“Which part? Why aren’t you looking at me?”
“The whole thing, and I’m very sorry…” I noticed Carter standing up and walking over to us. “You’re a great guy, and I think you’ll make someone very happy one day, but—”
“I’m going to try this one more fucking time.” Carter stepped in front of our table, cutting me off. “Arizona Turner, I love you, I am in love with you, and I don’t give a fuck if you’re wearing some other man’s promise ring because what you have with him doesn’t have shit on what you have with me.”
“Excuse me?” Sean looked at Carter, livid. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Can you not see she’s here with me?”
“Not for much longer.” Carter kept his eyes on mine. “I sent you a letter every week telling you how I felt, telling you I didn’t mean any of what I said at the airport…I’ve already spent over six months without seeing you, without touching you, and I’m not letting you go back to France without at least talking to you—without telling you everything that I have to say.”
“Is this shit really happening?” Sean stood up, clenching his fists. “Do you not see me standing here? You think you can just talk to my girlfriend without my permission?”
Everyone in the diner was now silent and staring at the three of us.
“Ari…” Carter stepped even closer to me, reaching down and running his fingers through my hair. “I want you back…I need you back…”
“Let’s go, Ari.” Sean looked at me as he moved around the table. “We need to finish our conversation without this desperate asshole interrupting it.”
I didn’t get up.
“Ari?” He looked shocked. “Ari, are you seriously considering whatever this asshole is talking about? He’s been nothing but rude to you since we got here.”
“I’ve only been rude to you,” Carter countered, eyes still on mine.
“Ari, if you don’t leave with me right now, I’m going straight to the airport and I’m not coming back,” Sean said. “I also won’t be forgetting this shit anytime soon in France when you go back…What’s it going to be?”
I opened my mouth to answer him, but Carter pulled me up and pressed his lips against mine—kissing me as tears fell down my face, as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. At that moment, no one else in the diner existed.
It was just me and Carter.
The guy I was in love with, the guy I’d loved for most of my life.
When we finally broke away, I looked over at Sean—to offer an apology, but he was long gone. The other patrons were looking at us with fascination and I blushed as Carter kissed me again.
“I read your letter…” I said softly. “You were right…”
“I usually am.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and he smiled, whispering against my mouth. “Let’s get out of here…” He pulled me against his side and led me to his car. Taking my hand in his, he looked over at me. “Were you going to go the rest of this trip without saying anything else to me?”
“I was going to come to your house tonight, after I broke up with Sean…You kind of interrupted my break-up speech, though. Pretty sure he’ll be smearing my name around all over campus whenever—”