Chapter 29
Liam
It feels like I’ve been punched in the gut.
Seeing Kendall like this, looking so hurt and broken because of me, makes me feel like the biggest piece of shit in the world.
Because I am.
That’s why she started distancing herself from me during junior year. That’s why she stopped hanging out with me and why our friendship has been strained all these years.
Because I hurt her.
I forgot about that night. I forgot about what I said until she brought it up just now.
But she didn’t. She’s been thinking about what I said for the past nine years.
I take in the pained look in her big brown eyes, the way her lips tremble as she struggles not to cry.
My chest feels like it’s going to collapse into itself. Seeing her like this is fucking agony.
I need to tell her the truth.
She lets out a sad, weak laugh. “Liam, don’t try to bullshit your way out of this. I know what I heard.”
I shake my head. “No, you heard right. But what I said was a lie.”
“What are you talking about?”
The memory of that night comes flooding back to me. Nerves fire off inside of me. I take a breath.
“That teammate I was talking to? He was pissed that I got captain over him. So to get back at me, he started going after the women I was interested in.”
She looks so confused. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. He was a creepy asshole. The day after I made captain, he started flirting with the girl I was dating. She dropped me to hook up with him. And the second I started showing interest in someone else, he went after her too. It happened two more times after that. I was pissed, but I couldn’t kick his ass like I wanted to.
I’d lose my spot as captain,” I say. “When he started asking about you at that party, I didn’t want him to go after you too.
So I lied and said I wasn’t interested in you so he wouldn’t pursue you.
Even though I liked you. A lot.” I pause for a second, working up the nerve to admit this. “I had the biggest crush on you.”
Her eyes widen as she stares at me. My heart pounds in my chest. I hope she believes me. Everything I’ve said is the truth, but I wouldn’t blame her if she thinks I’m lying. I’m the guy who talked shit behind her back. She has every reason not to trust me.
The quiet stretches between us. A restless energy swoops through me. My brain is going crazy trying to think of how I can make this right.
I scoop her hand in mine. “I’m so sorry for saying that. I’m so, so sorry for hurting you. I’ll hate myself forever for it.”
She blinks and her expression eases. “I believe you.”
I let out a shaky breath, relieved.
She gazes at our joined hands for a moment, then looks back up at me. “You had a crush on me in college?”
“Yeah. I was so into you. I mean, I tried to read War and Peace just so I could talk to you.” The corner of my mouth hooks up. “I thought the second I admitted that to you, you’d know.”
That smart little mouth of hers curves up in a small smile.
“I even wrote you a letter sophomore year confessing my feelings for you.” My face is hot as I admit this. “I stuck it to the windshield of your car, but I don’t think you ever got it. It must have blown away or something.”
She blinks a few times like she’s shocked. “Wait, that was from you?”
“Yeah. Hold on, you got the letter? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know it was from you. You didn’t sign your name.”
I didn’t even realize that. Wow, I was a moron. “I was pretty nervous when I wrote it. I guess I forgot to sign my own name.”
She flashes a warm smile, like she thinks it’s sweet.
“I thought the guy I was dating at the time wrote it for me,” she says. “When I told him how much I loved his letter, he looked so surprised. I guess it makes sense now why he looked so clueless. He took the credit, though.”
I chuckle. “That bastard.”
Kendall bites her lip. “I can’t believe you had a crush on me in college.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “Why can’t you believe it? You were hot, smart, funny, and cool to hang out with.”
Her full cheeks flush as she smiles. “Since we’re confessing things…” She clears her throat. “I had a crush on you in college too.”
My brow hits my hairline. “Seriously?”
She nods.
“But you only dated the smart guys,” I say. “I never saw you go for athletes. I only ever saw you with guys who had perfect GPAs and talked like they memorized a thesaurus.”
The look in her eyes turns shy as she gazes at me. “I had a type. But then I met you.” She bites her lip. “You were this hot, funny, charming hockey player. And, um, your body…”
I gently tuck a chunk of her hair behind her ear, grinning. “What about my body?”
She bites her lip. The blush on her cheeks deepens. “So many muscles. I wasn’t used to that.”
My ego swells. I can’t help but grin. “You liked my muscles.”
She nods.
“Do you still like my muscles, firecracker?”
She nods again.
“Good. Because I may be a dumbass, but I’ve got plenty of muscles.”
I drop my hand to her waist, pulling her against me.
“You’re not a dumbass, Liam.”
The sincerity in her tone catches me off guard.
“The way you talk about the poems and books we’ve read proves it,” she says.
My heart beats faster. I don’t care if the whole world thinks I’m an idiot. Kendall thinks I’m smart. That’s all I care about.
“So you’re saying I’ve got brains and beauty?” I tease.
That chuckle I love so much falls from her lips. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She bites that luscious bottom lip. “I have another confession.”
“What is it, firecracker?”
“I still have a crush on you,” she says in a breathy voice. “I still like you. A lot.”
I grin. “Same.”
Her eyes sparkle. “Yeah?”
“Hell, yeah.”
She glides her palms up my chest. I notice her breathing has picked up. So has mine.
My brain snags on one last thing. “Hang on.”