Tennessee Truths: A Standalone Enemies-to-Lovers- Romance

by Ashley Munoz

  “Let me go.” I pulled my arm back, seething at his presence, trying to talk my stomach out of the little flip flop routine it was doing at the fact that Jace had come.

  Again.

  He adjusted his squatting position to better cover us with the flapping tarp, shielding us from the rain. He kept one arm around my waist, causing my stomach to riot. I was at odds with my stupid hormones, especially after my monumental miscalculation regarding the fool.

  Still, it didn’t change the fact that my face turned into a furnace every time he was close, and every evil smirk made the butterflies in my stomach flutter. It was even worse that every time he randomly appeared somewhere that I was, I mentally took it to mean we were destined to be together.

  My abductor—or hero, however you wanted to look at it—made a sound of irritation from behind me as he pulled me closer to the corner.

  “Let me go,” I repeated, trying to push at his arm, but at the touch of his hot skin against mine, I relented immediately. The part of my body that collected his attentive glances and smiles sagged into his chest and mentally screamed at him to hold me tighter. The other part that was angry and bitter at how horribly he’d treated me for the past two years demanded I push him away and pray he tripped down the ladder.

  “I’ll let you go when you tell me what you’re doing out here,” he said against my ear, his hand flexing at my hip, causing my breath to hitch. I was so thankful he couldn’t see my face.

  “It’s none of your business.” As if my love for storms could be easily explained to the boy who bullied me? As if I could share my wonder and awe for the sky and how detrimentally beautiful it was? My body came out here as if it was called, like the sky was a siren and I merely a lost pirate at sea. Jace would laugh, and then make fun of me for all eternity.

  Then there was the little issue of being dumped by someone I’d never even met.

  He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. I smiled for a second, thinking he’d be kind, but then he followed it with, “Stupid girl.”

  Anger unfurled inside my chest, stretching and claiming all the places previously owned by those stupid butterflies.

  “I’m not stupid—you’re stupid.” I elbowed him, trying to get some distance. Thankfully and regrettably, he let me go.

  “Why do you always fight me on this? I told you not to come out here alone,” he yelled over the booming thunder, which was significantly closer now.

  Why the heck was he so mad? Why did he care at all?

  “I have been coming out here since long before you moved to town,” I yelled back, trying to shuffle into the corner, away from him. The white light bled in through the gaps in the tarp, followed by a crack of thunder directly over our heads.

  “Shit! We need to get lower. This tower is the tallest thing around here—we’re sitting ducks.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me up and shoving me toward the ladder. “Climb down, stay close, and as soon as you can, get in that small doorway under the play structure.”

  Terrified by his urgency and the fact that logic was slowly starting to seep in, I did as he said. I climbed down and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. Ducking into the small archway, I blinked against the darkness, the only light coming from the sky in flashes every few seconds.

  Being the closest one to my house, this playground was the one I frequented the most. It was designed like a castle, with wooden towers standing at each corner of the structure, and it was perfect for stargazing. Unfortunately, however, Jace was right—it was pure suicide during a lightning storm.

  A few seconds later, Jace barreled in, crowding me against the back wall. “We should be safe in here.” He eyed the pouring rain, which we were now shielded from.

  I nodded, grabbing on to my knees, leaning back. We sat in silence for a few moments, just watching the flashes of light and cringing when the thunder boomed. Meanwhile, my mind slowly pulled at all the tiny pieces of tonight, like a fraying strand of string. Why is Jace out here? Why did he rescue me? Why does it seem like he cares?

  The first time he’d come out, it had been a Friday night, nearly dusk. I was still reading with what daylight I had left, slowly swinging. He came over, tipped my chin up, and angrily told me he was walking me home and to never come out alone again. Thinking it was another one of his stupid tactics to bully me, I laughed in his face and went back the next week. Only, he was back that week too.

  And so went every Friday night for the past six months. Even on game nights, he’d make his way to the park. He even once showed up at nearly midnight. He never spoke, but he did walk me home, every single time.

  “So, you came out here to watch the storm?” Jace asked, his tone an olive branch, like he was trying to make polite conversation. I was instantly suspicious. He was sitting on his knees, making him taller than me.

  I looked up, relishing the glint in his eyes. I always liked looking into his eyes. I tried to as often as possible, without him noticing.

  “I like storms,” I quietly confessed.

  “Well they don’t like you.” His tone was mocking. “You’d probably die if it weren’t for me.”

  “I would have been fine. I’m not stupid or helpless,” I snapped, feeling frustrated by his presence. “Why are you out here anyway?”

  He went from eyeing the storm to turning his calculating gaze on me. He stared; I stared back. Finally, he brought a hand to his forehead, letting out a small quivering sound…like he was tired. “I figured it would have been obvious by now.” Moving closer, he forced our bodies to touch. We were leg to leg, but I felt it everywhere.

  I inhaled sharply as his warm breath fanned out on my ear.

  He whispered, “It’s the same reason I accidentally trip into you in the halls, and the same reason I go to the library every Saturday and why I walk the two miles to the stupid park every Friday night.” His hand went to the wet hair that was sticking to the side of my face, the pad of his rough finger brushing it aside. “I’m a fool.”

  Holding my breath, I watched as he leaned back, just enough to reveal his expression. His heavy gaze fluttered over my face, down to my lips, just as thunder boomed again.

  His confession shifted something in my chest, making me feel exhilarated and confused.

  I’m a fool.

  Why did he have to use that exact phrase?

  “Why are you telling me this?” I asked, raising my voice over the heavy rain.

  He blinked, licked his lips, and leaned closer to me. “Because I’ve been watching you for two years, and if I have to watch you get a boyfriend or kiss someone besides me, I’m going to get kicked out of school. We’re going into high school next fall, and I don’t want to play games anymore.”

  I kept my breathing to a minimum, letting him continue, because he had to. I needed him to keep confirming that this burning feeling I always had when he was around wasn’t just one-sided.

  Hot air made contact with my neck as another shudder ran through him. His words spiraled out in a rush of breath. “I want you to be mine, Faith.”

  I shifted forward, catching us both off guard. I tried to take it back, reclaim the small amount of distance we’d had, but he gripped my wrist, slowly pulling me closer as I breathlessly said, “So…you like me?”

  White light lit the sky on fire, showing me his handsome face: bright blue eyes, a jaw that was already starting to define, and dark eyebrows that framed his features. He laughed, bringing his thumb to my lips.

  “I think we’re way past that, Pip.”

  My heart stalled. “What did you just call me?”

  His hand traveled to the nape of my neck, pulling me closer.

  “Pip, I’m your fool. Please don’t hate me.” His whispered confession washed over me.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  I pushed him back.

  “You’re…” I couldn’t even say the words.

  “Yes, it’s me. I started writing to you last year when I realized I had no other way of getting you to talk to me
.”

  “You could have just been nice.” I sputtered, still shocked, amazed…relieved.

  His deep laugh rumbled between us. “I was nice to you when I first moved here, but you didn’t notice me—not really. When I was funny, you didn’t laugh. You never tried to sit with me at lunch or be my partner in class, not like the other girls. I wanted you to look at me, to notice me the way I noticed you.”

  I didn’t know what to say to his admission. I was too afraid to believe him.

  “But you said you couldn’t write to me anymore…you ended things,” I reminded him.

  His eyes flashed as a grin broke out across his face. It was painfully beautiful.

  “I wrote that because you wouldn’t have accepted that it was me, not if I showed up the way you had asked me to. You would have cried or shouted that you hated me. I didn’t want to risk your rejection.”

  His finger trailed down my face, tucking more hair behind my ear. Goosebumps erupted along my skin, making me feel fevered. I processed his truth, realizing he was right. I would never have accepted that it was him if he had shown up in the library. I wouldn’t have believed him.

  “Okay.” I finally breathed again, my heart jumping into my throat.

  He watched me, a small smile lifting the edges of his mouth. “You serious?”

  “Yeah…I mean…I-I don’t know what to say,” I stammered. Am I supposed to say yes? Or that I accept? Did he even ask a question?

  “Say you’ll be mine. Say you’ll be with me,” he harshly declared to the dark surrounding us.

  Nodding my answer, I waited in utter terror for what was coming next. My friends had all already been kissed at some point in middle school, but I hadn’t. I had no idea what was involved with dating and becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

  Jace wet his lips, and while he leaned toward me, the tiny shuddered breath that left his lips made me think he was as nervous as I was. I tilted my chin up so he knew I was sure, because I really didn’t want him to ask. Two more thunderous booms echoed overhead before his lips descended on mine.

  It was as if we were pats of butter shucked into a hot pan, melting into each other, moving soft and slow. Small fireworks went off inside my head, and exhilaration roared inside my heart as a soft sound emanated from his throat. I didn’t know what to do except match exactly what he was doing.

  Rising to my knees, I kissed him back, grabbing his shirt, pulling him even closer. We moved to a song birthed in darkness, illuminated by fire, all while I gracefully handed my heart over to my secret keeper, my bully, the boy I was falling in love with.

  Faith

  Age 18

  Gold and crimson balloons littered the gymnasium, tied to the black folding chairs that sat snugly in neat symmetrical lines along the pine floor and all along the stage that had been set up for our ceremony. Letting out a heavy exhalation, I walked forward, ignoring the growing crowd of families ambling in to get to their seats in the bleachers. My eyes searched, drifting up, looking for my parents and hoping they’d chosen seats close to the Walkers.

  There, third row from the top, was June Walker, smiling at me, looking as proud as my own mother. The only difference was, my mother didn’t require a mask when out in public, or an oxygen tank just in case her lungs stopped working.

  It twisted my stomach when I saw June brave things like this, as if she needed any more reason for the people in this town to talk about her. But seeing her in such good spirits had me smiling back and waving at her and the dark-haired thirteen-year-old sitting next to her.

  Returning my gaze to my fellow classmates, I looked toward the back row of seats along the floor, where Jace should have been getting settled. His dark head of hair wasn’t anywhere to be seen, which made me nervous.

  Over the years, I’d gotten so close to him that when he wasn’t around, it left a knot of worry in my chest. I was sure that wasn’t healthy, but for what I knew of love, it made sense. His touch put me at ease, his voice always calmed me, and his eyes—they centered me.

  “Faith, watch where you’re going,” scolded my best friend, Gemma, as she pushed me forward.

  I glanced back, apologizing. “Sorry, just looking for Jace.”

  She laughed, or scoffed—I couldn’t quite tell because she frequently did both when she caught me nearly tripping over myself where that boy was concerned.

  “Look, he’s right there.” Her hot pink fingernail shot past my face, pointing toward the middle section of seats, where our line was headed. There in the middle of the row, likely right where I was supposed to sit, was Jace, standing tall and looking regal in his crimson graduation robe. My heart flip flopped in my chest as my face broke into a smile.

  He had a massive bouquet of flowers in his fist, a sly grin on his face, and one hand shoved into his pocket. A teacher would likely be over soon to tell him he wasn’t in the right spot, which meant I needed to get to him fast.

  Cutting away from the line, I pushed toward the center row of chairs and started moving them around so I could get to him sooner. An audible gasp came from the people behind me with a few Heys and What the hecks thrown around, but I kept going.

  His grin grew, turning into laughter as he tossed his head back. I loved him, so much it physically hurt sometimes. I didn’t like being away from him, ever. Which, again, if anyone knew, they’d likely sit me down and talk about how dangerous that kind of dependency was. With my head, I knew that, but my heart slammed the door on logic and settled in nicely with obsession.

  Finally, the last row between us was obliterated, and I slammed into him. He caught me, pulling me close, nuzzling my neck. Once I let him go, he was quick to capture me again, this time with a searing kiss that had our classmates erupting into hollers and shouts.

  I heard them, but I also didn’t, because when Jace kissed me, the whole world disappeared until it was just us. It always felt like our first kiss in that thunderstorm: booming, bright, explosive. Finally, he broke our connection, his chest heaving up and down like my own. He pinned his forehead to mine and whispered, “Happy graduation, Pip.”

  Standing back a foot, he handed me the flowers. Wildflowers in a variety of colors were bound together with burlap, beaming up at me. They weren’t like the usual ones he found; these were bigger, more vibrant, fuller…which meant he’d paid for them.

  “Jace, you didn’t have to get these. I know what day it is…I know what’s due,” I whispered, feeling the guilt tug at me painfully hard.

  His firm jaw ticked as he watched me. Leaning in, he whispered, “You were worth every penny.” He pressed a kiss to my brow just as we heard, “Miss Morgan, you need to get back in line before your row sits down!”

  Ms. Bevney was frantic and panting. She must have run over to us. “Mr. Walker, this isn’t even your row! Please, both of you go get back in line and fix those chairs,” she screeched, rushing us along.

  Jace pressed one more kiss to my lips. “See you after, Pip. Don’t forget about tonight.” He winked and walked back down the row, leaving me with a thundering heart and a smile on my face.

  The ceremony took forever. It was agonizingly long, and the pictures afterward were never ending. I hadn’t made a ton of friends in high school, somewhat due to my lack of social skills, but mostly because every girl was in love with Jace Walker. He was gorgeous, raw perfection that belonged on a magazine cover, or an ever-circulating meme.

  He’d grown into that defined chin, so sharp it could cut glass, and his dark brows were set perfectly over the darkest blue eyes, which, against his raven hair, were just godlike. His Greek-like nose was straight, and somehow, he had this natural sun-kissed glow about him that he carried all year round.

  It certainly didn’t help quell the female population’s hatred for me that he was the cliché captain of the football team. It wasn’t that he cared or had plans to venture into playing professionally, but he liked to let people know if he wanted something, he’d take it.

  Bodies were everywhere, p
ushing against each other, sweating, swarming. It was too much. I searched faces, looking for Jace, but couldn’t find him anywhere. Then a warm hand tugged on mine, stopping me in place. I spun around to find a dark head of hair already walking us out of the school, toward the parking lot. Jace had changed out of his graduation robes and back into his t-shirt and jeans, his combat boots unlaced like usual.

  Once we were in the parking lot, Jace opened the passenger door and held his hand out for me. I grabbed it but kissed him before I slid in and buckled myself in the middle.

  We were silent as we drove, and the sky was darkening with heavy clouds, which made my stomach flip. I loved getting caught in storms with Jace. I loved getting caught anywhere with him. Finally, after about twenty minutes, he pulled up a dirt hill and put his truck into park. Distant thunder rumbled around us as the navy clouds progressed across the sky.

  Jace jumped out of the truck, pillaged around in the back for a few things, and then headed toward my door. I followed after him, helping with the backpack and cooler. Rows and rows of dense trees surrounded us as we walked along the soft ground. Thankfully I had swapped my high heels for a pair of cowboy boots, knowing Jace had something planned.

  “Where are we?” I asked, trailing after him.

  “McGrady’s,” Jace murmured over his shoulder, giving me a secretive smile.

  My heart swelled. I loved this orchard because of the flowers that bloomed when the apples and cherries were nearly in season. I was shocked I hadn’t already recognized it, but we must have come from a different entrance than the normal route.

  We walked until Jace stopped near a peach tree; underneath was a patch of soft grass. He set down the things he’d carried and pulled out a thin canvas bag.

  “Is that a…” I stuttered, but Jace flashed me a smile.

  “A tent? Yeah…we’re spending the night out here. Your parents think you’re staying with Gemma after the party. Don’t worry, I covered all the bases.” He started pulling out the long poles, snapping them together. I moved to help, and together we assembled the small, two-man tent.