Anna steals a kiss from an unsuspecting Joe and runs away. He catches her soon and makes her pay. Read how the hopelessly romantic Anna and the strictly casual Joe try to get along.
"Mason," she says looking at him, surprised. He looks between us, and I can immediately say the guy doesn't like me and the reason is that I'm next to Anna.
"Hey," he says to her, "Can I have a second? I need to talk to you."
"I'm busy," she says and starts to walk away when he grabs her hand "Please, Anna," he says.
"Let her go. She said she's busy," I tell him, pulling her hand away from his. "It's between me and her. You stay away from it," he says.
"My girlfriend's business is my business."
He smirks. "Is that so? Then did your girlfriend tell you about the kiss we had?"
My heart stops beating for a second. She kissed him? I grab his collar. "Stop talking nonsense." Before he could talk, my friends appear next to me and pull us away from each other.
"Stop it, please. Don't cause trouble here," Anna says to me. She turns to Mason. "I've nothing to talk to you about, Mason. And don't you dare involve him in this. Leave."
He doesn't leave, making me want to punch him, but I don't want to ruin the event Anna worked so hard to put together by starting a fight. I take her hand and leave the place. When he tries to follow us my friends block him.
I take her to the side of one of the stalls for privacy. "What was that?" I ask her. She sighs. "He's my ex."
That surprises me, and also makes me feel stupid. Of course, she would've dated before. For some reason, I just couldn't imagine that. "You kissed him?"
"I didn't. I mean, yes, I did. He was waiting outside my parents' shop to talk to me. He wants us to get back together. That's when it happened. I left him right after."
"Do you have a habit of kissing guys and running away?"
"I told you already, it was you who kissed me the second time."
"But you kissed me back. Don't say you didn't feel anything between us."
"Joe, please. I'm not interested in being one of your casual hookups."
"Cuz you'd rather go back to your ex?"
"I'm not going back to him! And whether I do that or not is none of your business."
"Why did you break up with him?"
"That also, none of your business."
"Why?" I repeat.
She looks away and quietly says, "He cheated on me with a girl from his school."
I clench my fists. Guys who betray the trust of a girl are the lowest. "And yet you still like him?"
"It's not that easy to stop liking someone, Joe. You probably don't know that since you've never loved anyone."
Her words cut through me like a sword. I wonder if it was anyone else who'd said that it would still feel this painful? "You're right, I never loved anyone. But I also never mistreated a girl like he did with you. Don't blame it on love that you can't move on. You're just scared to move on."
I thought she would snap back at me. Instead, she looks sad and leans back on the canvas of the tent. "Maybe," she whispers.
I go near her. "Don't waste your time on him, Anna. He's not worth it. I understand if you really don't want a casual relationship with me. But don't strike it off just because you're scared. I can't be your boyfriend but I'll never hurt you," I say, leaning into her and caressing her cheek.
I slowly put my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. She comes without resistance. I kiss her gently. "Think about it," I say. She lightly nods.
Peter and Alan get in my car the next day. Alan says from the backseat, "Now I know why you asked me to look into that Mason guy. He's your golden goose's ex. He's very popular in Barnerstone. Vice captain of the basketball team. They'd been dating for four months before she found out he cheated on her. She broke it off immediately. Soon after, he broke up with the girl he cheated with and wants Anna back."
"Like hell she'll get back with him," Peter says.
I look out the window. I don't share Peter's confidence. She still likes him a bit and she might forgive him at some point. But bad luck for Mason, I want her, too. She won't agree to sleep with me if she still feels like she needs to be faithful to Mason even though they are no longer together.
I'll get him out of her mind. There are more than one kind of relationship that can make people feel loved. I'll show her that.
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