by Amy Sparling
“You want to take a walk?” I ask.
She nods. “Sure.”
My mom and Phil’s house sits on several acres of land, and my mom has made herself quite an impressive garden in the back yard. Gardening has become her favorite hobby since moving away from the big city and settling down here in the country. Our backyard has vegetables, fruits, and so many flowers you’d think we’re actually a plant store instead of a private home.
Bella and I wander through the garden path, which is made of concrete stepping stones and gravel. I want to hold her hand, but the seriously strained vibes rolling off her tell me I probably shouldn’t.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She shrugs. “No.”
“What happened after I left last night?”
“Not much,” she says, shoving her hands in her pockets while we walk. “I just went to bed. Brent was gone when I woke up this morning.”
“Was your mom mad?”
“Surprisingly not.” Bella reaches for a pink rose and brings it closer to her face so she can smell it.
“Bella, what’s on your mind?”
She freezes, and my question hangs in the air for a long, uncomfortable moment. I shift on my feet. “It’s not like you to come over without texting me first. So what’s going on?”
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “Dang it,” she says, blinking. “I told myself I wasn’t allowed to cry.”
My heart seizes up in my chest. “Why would you cry? Bella, what’s wrong?”
She shakes her head, more as a response to herself than to me. “You know what’s wrong,” she says. “This has to end.”
“This?”
“Us,” she says, holding her chin high. Her bottom lip trembles but she looks me right in the eyes as if she has more confidence than she really does. “We have to end this summer fling. The summer is over, so we’re over.”
“The summer is not over,” I say in a rush. It feels like my whole body is on fire. It feels like I should run away from this whole conversation because I refuse to believe it’s happening. “It’s not over. We still have time.”
“Like what, a week and a half?” she says, rolling her eyes. “That’s not time. That’s a slow, painful breakup. We should just end things quickly right now. Just—” She snaps her fingers. “Just end it. We can even lie to each other and say we’ll stay friends.”
“That’s not a lie. I’ll always be your friend.”
She lets out a sarcastic snort of laughter and turns away from me, running her fingers along a flowerbed of daises. “As nice as the sentiment is, we won’t be friends, Liam. You’ll be famous and I’ll be some small town nobody.”
“You’re not a nobody.” I grab her arm and turn her around to look at me. “You’re my girlfriend.”
“I’m your summer fling.”
“You call it what you want and I’ll call it what I want.”
Her lips press into a thin line like she’s trying really hard to be mad at me. But I know Bella. She’s not mad. She’s hurt.
“Babe…”
“Don’t babe me,” she says, her voice trembling. “I’m not your babe.”
“Bella.” I cup my hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears with my thumb. “We can call it whatever we want, but you and I both know that what we have is more than just some stupid fling. It’s real. Or at least it feels like it to me. I thought you felt it, too.”
She looks down at our feet, and her shoulders sag. “I don’t know what it feels like to me,” she says softly. “Just that it feels like heartbreak.”
“I don’t want you to hurt.” I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. “Bella, that’s the last thing I want.”
“It’s not your fault. I knew what I was getting into.” She peers up at me and all I want in this world is to kiss her one more time. “This has to end,” she says. “We’re already hurting. Why should we drag it out more?”
Deep down, I think I know she’s right. But it’s taking everything I have not to argue. I want to drop to my knees and beg and plead with her to change her mind. I just need another week. Another day. Another hour with this girl.
Bella holds her head high and takes a step backward, putting just a few inches between us but god, it feels like miles. “I think it’s better this way.”
I nod, and now hot tears are pooling in the corners of my eyes. I can’t remember the last time I cried—maybe at my grandmother’s funeral ten years ago. Maybe a little bit that time I dislocated my shoulder and it hurt worse than any injury I’d ever had. But I’ve definitely never cried over a girl.
“I’m so sorry,” Bella says. “It was fun while it lasted, and you’re seriously a great guy. But it has to be over now.”
The lump in my throat is threatening to suffocate me. “Okay,” I manage to say, even though all the air feels like it’s been drop-kicked out of my lungs.
“We can break up now,” I say. “But please stay my friend. I don’t think I could handle it if you start hating me.”
She nods softly as a gentle summer breeze carries the fragrance of the flowers all around us. “We’ll always be friends.”
“Always.” I swear I’m about to break into a million pieces. How is Bella holding herself together so well? I’m two seconds away from being completely destroyed.
“Good luck on Team Loco,” she says. At some point in this conversation, we turned back toward the front yard, and we’re almost back to her truck. “I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks. I get free tickets, so maybe you could come to the Houston race.”
“That would be fun.” She takes her keys out of her pocket and stands near her truck.
“Text me any time,” I say, just because I don’t want this conversation to end.
“Sure,” she says, opening her door. “You too.”
And then she starts the engine and backs out of my driveway. I stand here, watching her drive away until her taillights are just tiny imperceptible dots on the horizon. And I know what we were—just summer flings. I know that this is what we agreed on. I know it has to be over now.
But I also know one more thing.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.
Thank you for reading Bella and the Summer Fling! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It doesn’t even have to be long; just one sentence helps out a lot!
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Bella and Liam’s story continues in Book 3, Bella and the One Who Got Away.
It was supposed to be a summer fling. I ended things with Liam the moment summer was over, just as we agreed. I moved on with my life. Easy peasy.
Well, that’s what I’m trying to do. College classes are boring, and I there’s nothing to do in my small town. Everything reminds me of Liam. He’s everywhere lately now that he’s a famous motocross racer. I see him on TV, online, and printed on T-shirts. He’s every fangirl’s crush, but he was my crush first.
And now he’s gone.
Click here to get book 3!
Also by Amy Sparling
Ella’s Twisted Senior Year
When a tornado takes her home, Ella is forced to move in with the boy who broke her heart.
Sweets High Romance Series
A contemporary teen romance series based on three couples that go to the same school. These books can be read in any order.
Believe in Me
He’s got fame. She’s got nothing. Jett and Keanna’s epic love story unfolds over this 8 book series.
The Team Loco Series
Three famous dirt bike racers and the girls who win their heart. A sweet YA romance series.
About the Author
Amy Sparling is the bestselling author of books for teens and the teens at heart. She lives on the coast of Texas with her family, her spoiled rotten pets, and a huge pile of books. She graduated with a degree in English and has worked at a bookstore, coffee shop, and a fashion boutique
. Her fashion skills aren't the best, but luckily she turned her love of coffee and books into a writing career that means she can work in her pajamas. Her favorite things are coffee, book boyfriends, and Netflix binges.
She's always loved reading books from R. L. Stine's Fear Street series, to The Baby Sitter's Club series by Ann, Martin, and of course, Twilight. She started writing her own books in 2010 and now publishes several books a year. Amy loves getting messages from her readers and responds to every single one! Connect with her on one of the links below.
