Page 46 of Every Single Broken Piece
“Yes. Dinner and movies at my place,” he replies before pulling the door shut behind him.
A deflating sound ripples over my lips while I go to the couch and sink down on it.
Well, that sucked.
I meant it when I said I wish it hadn’t happened. We could’ve been friends, and I hate that things had to escalate like that.
I kick off my sneakers, and lying down, I pull the blanket over me. I snuggle into my pillow and stare at the black screen of the TV.
Levi didn’t say anything about the kiss. Maybe he’s going to pretend it didn’t happen.
For a day that started so well, it sure turned to crap at the speed of light.
If friendship is all I’ll ever have with Levi, at least I got to kiss him today. Even if it was just a peck on the lips.
My head pops up as I remember the security cameras. I sit up, and grabbing my phone, I go into the security app. I find the camera that’s focused on the back of the house and rewind to where I’m talking with Levi.
I drink in the sight of his face, the week-old beard I’m really growing fond of, and as I go in to kiss him, I see his eyes closing. When I pull away, there’s a flash of shock tightening his features, and he stares after me.
Then he lifts his hand and brushes the pads of his fingers over his lips. When he begins to walk back to his house, the corner of his mouth lifts.
I rewind the footage, needing to make sure I didn’t imagine his reaction.
Watching it again, a smile forms on my face, and hope blossoms in my chest.
Okay. Chill, Kelcie. You’ve made it pretty clear how you feel by kissing him. Let him make the next move.
I rewind the footage again and pause on the time stamp where Levi’s smiling as he walks away. Staring at the screen, I memorize it until my eyes drift closed.
The ringing of the doorbell rips me out of a deep sleep, and when it’s followed by someone banging on the door, I dart up off the couch. My eyes feel as if there’s sand in them, and I rub them before I look through the peephole. Seeing Mrs. Adams, Colby’s mother, I let out a groan.
There’s a strand of hair sticking up at the back of her head, and her cheeks are red with anger. Where Colby has an athletic build like his father, his mother is short like me.
I pat over my messy hair before I unlock the door and open it for her. “Hi, Mrs. Adams.”
“Don’t ‘Hi, Mrs. Adams’ me,” she snaps angrily. “How could you be so cruel, Kelcie? Colby has been nothing but kind to you, and you broke his heart. All for some stranger?”
My eyes grow wide from the sudden attack, but needing to make her understand, I reply, “Even if Levi weren’t in the picture, I still wouldn’t date Colby. I told him so many times that I only feel friendship for him, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Many marriages built on friendship have been successful.”
I give her a what-the-heck look. “I’m not talking about this with you. I’m sorry Colby is hurting, but that’s not on me. Excuse me.”
When I begin to push the door shut, she darts forward, and her palm connects hard with my cheek.
“Your parents must be turning in their graves,” she spits at me while I lift my hand to my stinging face, too shocked to react. “Shame on you, Kelcie. They raised you better than this.”
Still stunned out of my mind, I watch as she stalks back to her house.
Slowly, I shut the door and lock it, then turning around, I walk right through the house and out the back, going straight to the only place I feel safe.
Chapter 13
Levi
Done showering and on my way to my bedroom, I hear a soft knock at my back door. Knowing it can only be Kelcie, I turn around and head to the kitchen.
Lick starts wagging her tail, confirming my thoughts.
