Page 17 of What I Like About You

“Well, I couldn’t give her mine, they were crap!” he retorted. “But this isn’t about Sammie Smith and chem notes, Zara. This is about us.”

The look on Zara’s face hit him like a punch to the gut. Gone was the electric smile that he still saw every time he closed his eyes. Now it was replaced with a somber look, one that made his heart ache. Despite being surrounded by the rest of the group, it felt like they were the only two in the room. No one else mattered in this moment except him and Zara and getting the chance to explain everything to her.

“There is no us. You killed ‘us’ ten years ago. And I told you, I’ve moved on. I’m happy. I’m successful. I run a very popular and in-demand blog. In fact, it’s often cited as the top beauty blog out there. I have a chance at my own TV show. I’m with Antwan!” she exclaimed.

“Are you really?” he asked. He knew he sounded skeptical, but he couldn’t help it.

“Yes! And what does it matter to you? Not a half hour ago you were all tangled up with CC de Milo!” she hissed.

“That’s not what it looked like.”

“Oh, so she didn’t offer to let you fuck her right here on the bar?” she snarked. This was the spunk he’d come to love when they were younger. It was a side of her that she rarely let shine in public, even though he’d urged her to a number of times in response to all those he knew picked on her. “Could have fooled me.”

“Zara, it’s not like that, I promise you. Just like it wasn’t like that at prom.”

Zara flinched slightly at the word “prom” and he could kick himself for even mentioning it. That night was easily one of his worst memories, right up there with losing his mother. He’d give anything to go back and change what had happened, to stop himself from saying those words.

"It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. I have moved on. I had hoped you had too when I heard you took off for Neverland.”

“Neverland?” he repeated, not sure he heard her right. Was she comparing him to a cartoon?

“Yeah, I mean, you literally decided you didn’t want to grow up and ran away to paradise.”

“You think I’m Peter Pan?” he bit back. He had to remind himself to breathe. She didn’t know the reason he had left Atlanta. She didn’t know what he had learned that had turned his entire world upside down in a matter of seconds.

“I should go find Antwan,” she replied softly.

“Zara.”

“Please tell Drea thank you for a wonderful event and that we’ll see her in the morning at the spa.” With those final words, she turned and walked into the growing crowd in The Casbah.

Dalton just stood there, watching her disappear. He could feel his heart crack all over again, the same way it had when she had walked away from him on prom night.

Only difference was, this time he wasn’t going to let her get away.