Stitches and Scars (25 page)

I love you,
he thought, the words rushing through his mind as the realization hit him. He wasn’t sure how she felt, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off, so he bit down on his tongue in an attempt to keep those three words from spilling out.

“Kate,” he said slowly. “You are amazing. Actually, you’re so much more than amazing.” His words were simple, yet he hoped that she would understand the feelings behind them.

“You’re amazing too, Ethan. I’m so glad I have you.” She lifted her head up and placed her lips to his, before curling herself into his chest.

The two of them stayed wrapped in each other’s arms until all that was left of the fire was golden embers. Ethan knew it was time for him to go since he had work early the next day, but he was reluctant to leave. Kate sighed, knowing without words what he was thinking.

“I guess you need to get going, huh?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding defeated. “Let me run to the bathroom really quick and then I’ll walk you out.”

“Sounds good to me.” He gently squeezed her body, holding her close and savoring her warmth.

“Be right back,” she whispered and climbed off the couch.

Ethan watched her until she was out of sight and knew at that moment that he’d never tire of her. He smiled and let himself enjoy the feeling of contentment as it settled over him. A moment later, a phone beeped, signaling a text. Ethan turned his head to the side and saw it lying on the ground a foot away. Without thinking, he picked it up and flipped it open. His eyes focused on the screen and his heart, which was once fluttering in elation, stopped.

In simple black text, against the blue screen read the name, Scott. In the second it took for the name to register, a hundred questions flitted through his mind. The last text Kate had received from Scott had been at the restaurant almost a month ago and, as far as he was aware, she hadn’t received any more.
But what if she had?
he thought. Surely she would tell him if they were talking to one another again. He couldn’t stop the questions and couldn’t help but think of the worse case scenario. So he tried not to.

Placing the phone on the coffee table, he stood up and headed for the door. The only thing he wanted was space and time to think and he couldn’t do that in Kate’s home. He was just about to the door when he heard Kate.

“Ethan?” He took a deep breath and turned around to face her as she walked toward him, a look of worry etched on her face. “Were you going to say goodbye?” Her eyebrows pulled together.

“Of course. Yes. I just … I’m sorry.” His voice trailed off, never giving the reason for leaving in such a hurry.

“Is everything all right?” She took a step toward him.

He tried to form the words to ask the question that was burning inside of him, but he couldn’t. Instead, he just reached forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Placing his chin on top of her head, he breathed in her scent. As happy as he pretended to be at the moment, he couldn’t escape the awful feeling deep in his gut that told him something was wrong. He swallowed hard and once again pushed those thoughts from his mind.

“I really should get going. I’ll call you later, all right?” he asked.

“Sure.” Kate looked up at him and knew something was off.

“Goodnight. Sleep well.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before walking out the door.

Chapter 20

Complications

C
rap. Oh, shoot. Dang it!” Kate’s hands flailed around helplessly, trying to somehow magically stop the milk that she’d just spilled from dripping onto the floor.

“Here, use this,” Elle said, tossing her a towel, which she unfortunately missed.

“Stupid … idiot,” she mumbled to herself before picking it up.

Elle’s hands went to her hips and she glared at her friend. “Hey, hey. What’s with the bashing?”

“I wasn’t talking about you, Elle.” She sighed. “I was referring to myself.” She turned her attention back to the spilled milk and began to clean up the mess.

“Okay, what’s wrong?”

Kate closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but the reason why she was upset. It didn’t matter how many times she ran through the events of last night, because the more she did, the more confused and frustrated she became. She wasn’t planning on bugging Elle with something so stupid, but her friend’s question changed her mind. After all, that’s what friends are for, right?

“Last night, Ethan and I came back here to hang out.”

“Sure, you guys ‘hung out,’” Elle said with an eye roll. “If that’s what you want to call it. And?”

Pressing her lips together and inhaling through her nose, Kate tried to put her thoughts in order. She was pretty sure that no matter how she explained it, her concerns would sound ridiculous. “So, when it was time for him to leave, I got up to use the bathroom, and when I came back, he was already at the door. He said he had to get home to bed since he was working early this morning.”

“Um hmm.” Elle nodded her head, letting her friend’s words register.

“Look, I know this sounds stupid, but I just felt like something was wrong.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know … something. He just looked like he had something on his mind. Ugh, I don’t know. I’m probably being stupid and completely overreacting.” She dropped her head onto the table and buried her face in her arms.

“Look.” Elle placed her hand on Kate’s back. “I’m sure everything’s fine. He probably was just thinking about work, especially since he had to go in early.”

“Maybe you’re right. I’m just reading into things too much. I’m sure everything is fine.” She sat up and nodded.
Everything is fine; nothing is wrong.
She repeated the words over and over a few times in her head, willing herself to believe them. The only problem was that no matter how much her mind believed it, her heart didn’t.

“What are your plans for today?” Elle asked, trying to help change the subject. She hated seeing her friend worry, especially if there was nothing to worry about.

“Not too much. I have a few more pictures I have to take into the city, then I’m meeting Scott for coffee.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she paused. She hadn’t told Elle or Sophie about her rekindled friendship with Scott. Not that it mattered—he was just a friend. But then again, he was a friend they both hated.

“What?” Elle asked in shock. “Do you mean Scott—as in Scott Christiansen?”

“Yeah,” Kate mumbled. “I guess I forgot to mention that we’re kind of friends again?” Her statement came out sounding like a question, and she waited patiently for the onslaught she knew was coming.

“Friends!” Elle yelled. “Are you serious? You’re actually trying to be friends with that jerk?”

“Come on, he’s not a jerk,” she defended him. Elle folded her arms and glared at Kate with raised eyebrows. “Okay, so maybe he can be a jerk sometimes. But he used to be our friend,” Kate reminded her. “And he wants to be again.” She shrugged, hoping the topic would be dropped.

“Friends? Do you honestly think you can just be friends with him?”

“Yes, I do,” she said truthfully.

“What makes you think it will be different this time?”

Because I love someone else.
The thought caught Kate off guard. She knew she was falling in love with Ethan, but she hadn’t actually said it yet. “Because, Elle, I don’t love Scott anymore. I want to be with Ethan, and that’s it.” She smiled as she said the words that she knew were true.

Elle studied her friend’s face and could see the honesty there. “I want you to be happy, Kate. You’re my best friend and I love you. And it’s because I love you that I’m going to tell you to be careful. I know Scott says he wants to be friends, but he’s said that once before and it didn’t end well. Plus, I would think about Ethan.”

“What about Ethan?” Kate asked in confusion.

“Well, have you told him about being friends with Scott again?”

“No,” she replied, still confused.

“Don’t you think you should? I mean, clearly, I’m not an expert on relationships. But I’m pretty sure that most guys would feel a little threatened by an ex trying to weasel his way back into the life of a girl they’re dating. Especially if I found out she was meeting him for coffee.”

“But Ethan has nothing to worry about. I don’t love Scott anymore. He’s just a friend.”

“A friend who you
were
in love with who also happened to break your heart.”

Up until this point, Kate hadn’t thought of the way Ethan would see it. She didn’t think it was a big deal, but maybe to him it would be. And now, after hearing Elle’s words, she feared that maybe she was right. Maybe Ethan would be worried. Maybe he would doubt the way she felt about him. Kate immediately felt sick as she thought of Ethan doubting her love for him in any way.

“I’ll tell him, then,” she said frantically. “I don’t think I could handle losing him over something so stupid.” Tears welled up in her eyes just thinking about it.

“Hey, don’t be worried. Everything is going to be fine.” Elle pulled her friend into a hug and rubbed her back in reassurance.

It was times like this when Kate was grateful for her friends. Friends who would still be there to comfort her when she needed them, even though they weren’t happy with the choices she made and would tell her that flat out.

“So, how was hanging out with Trent last night? You guys went out, right?” Kate teased, desperate for a change in conversation.

“What? No! I mean, kind of. In a way.”

Kate stood back and watched her friend stumble over her words. Elle was
never
flustered. “Elle,” she said, lifting her eyebrows. “Do you have something you want to tell me?”

“No.” Spinning around quickly, she scurried out of the kitchen.

“Hey! Not so fast, missy.” Kate followed after her and found her sitting on the couch watching ESPN. “You know I’m not letting you off that easily.” She stood in front of the TV with her hands on her hips. “I saw the way you guys looked at each other. And don’t think I didn’t hear what he said about kissing you
again.
”

Elle closed her eyes tight and dropped her head back on the couch, letting out a sigh of frustration. This conversation was what she’d been trying to avoid. Last night had ended up entirely different than she thought and just thinking about it made her angry.

“What is the matter with me?” she finally yelled. “I mean, he is such an ass. But I can’t help but like him. I’m pretty sure he likes me too, especially after that kiss.” She pressed her fingers to her lips, remembering the way they felt on his. Just when she stared to smile, she remembered how things had ended last night and she immediately forced all hopeful thoughts of him aside. “But you know, I’m not holding my breath or anything. He’s probably one of those guys who has a different girl every day of the week, and I refuse to be another notch in his belt. No biggie.” She shrugged. “He’s just another jock, anyway, right?”

Kate looked at the sad eyes of her friend and knew she didn’t believe her own words. Placing her hand on her knee, she gave it a reassuring squeeze. She knew she didn’t have to say a word for Elle to know she understood. The two friends sat in silence for a moment, both pretending to watch the TV and both knowing what the other one was thinking.

“I have to get going,” Kate said, grabbing her keys and phone off the table. “I only have two hours before I have to meet Scott.” At the mere mention of his name, Elle rolled her eyes. Choosing to ignore it, Kate continued talking. “Will you be around later? I think we need a girls’ night. Just the three of us and, of course, Maverick, Goose, and the Iceman. Half-naked. Playing volleyball.”

“Mmm, you sure know the way to a girl’s heart.” Elle placed her hand over her chest and sat back dramatically.

“Does that mean you’re on?”

“Sure. I’ll call Soph.” She flipped open her phone and was already talking to her as Kate walked out the door.

***

Over the next two hours, Kate’s mind was disconnected from her body. Her body ran errands, picked up dry cleaning, and made the drive into the city, but her mind was stuck on Ethan, like it had been all night. Every time she started to feel anxious, she would repeat the phrase from earlier.
Everything is fine; nothing is wrong,
she would tell herself. And, just like earlier, she would feel comforted—at least for a few minutes.

The few times she tried calling him, it went straight to voicemail. She knew he was working all day and eventually accepted that she would have to wait until tomorrow to talk with him.

Before she knew it, the time had passed and she was walking to the coffee shop where Scott had asked to meet. She was only a block away when her phone beeped, signaling a text.

Hurry up, have a surprise for u.

She quickly replied that she was around the corner and tucked her phone away. As soon as she opened the door of the coffee shop, she both saw and heard her surprise.

“Katie!”

There standing a few feet away was Brian, one of Scott’s friends who she’d grown to love and missed dearly. She smiled and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He gripped her around the waist and swung her in a circle.

“Man, you
do
look good,” he said, placing her on her feet and taking a step back to admire her. “Scott wasn’t lying.” He smiled.

Scott coughed and shot Brian a look. “I was hanging out with this guy here earlier,” he said, nudging Brian in the shoulder, “and I accidentally let it slip that I was having coffee with you. He insisted on coming to see you, so I hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you kidding?” she asked. “Why would I mind?” She smiled at Brian. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, or all the guys for that matter. What’s new?”

“Funny thing you should ask that,” Brian said with a hint of something underlying his voice, earning yet another glare from Scott.

“What’s going on?” Kate asked, feeling out of the loop. The two boys kept giving each other secretive, silent glances, and it was driving her crazy.

“I think I better let Scott explain it. I have to get going, anyway.” Brian stepped forward and gave her another hug.

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later?” she asked hopeful.

“Of course you will, now that you’re back in the group.” He winked. The words didn’t register in Kate’s mind until he was at the door. “I’ll see you tonight,” he added over his shoulder, and then the door shut behind him.

Staring after him in complete confusion, Kate turned to Scott. “What was all that about? And why am I seeing him tonight?”

“I guess he was kind of hoping that you would come to McLaren’s tonight. I’ve been meaning to tell you that Christine and Mike finally got engaged. The group of us is getting together as kind of an engagement party.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. The thought of seeing everyone again made her excited, but she also felt a little wary. McLaren’s was
their
place, the place where the group of them used to hang out when both she and Scott were together.

“You have to come,” he pleaded. “Everyone is dying to see you. Plus, it would be really nice to have you there again.” He reached forward and took her hand, holding it in his.

Kate stared at their intertwined hands before what she was doing registered. As soon as it did, she yanked her hand back and shoved it in her pocket.

“Scott,” she said, dropping her head.

He took a step toward her and lifted her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his. “Katie, can we talk?” His eyes bore into hers, familiar and loving. “Please,” he said before leading them to a corner booth and taking a seat.

Kate took a deep breath and held it before sitting down across from him.

“These past few weeks have been great. Wonderful, even,” he started.

“They have been. Scott, I’m really glad that we can be friends again.”

He visibly cringed. “Friends,” he repeated the word.

“Yes, friends. That’s what you said you wanted, right?”

“It was. But now, I don’t know.”

“You don’t want to be friends anymore?” she asked in confusion.