by Meg Buchanan
“It was just a kiss,” Dana ventured. “That’s what you said, Tessa.”
Noah stayed quiet. Maybe he knew something. And he owed her. She’d been the one who listened when he didn’t know what to do about Natalia. He’d chosen Dana and stuck to it, but she was pretty sure Natalia was always in the back of his mind.
No, not fair to use that.
Cole and Adam were concentrating hard on the PlayStation game. Cole probably knew something. He spent all week in Paeroa like Luke and Isaac did. Luke said Rose lived there. Maybe Rose knew the truth now. The girls she was with would have filled in the gaps for her. She wished someone would fill in the gaps for her. She envied Rose for a moment. She knew Luke had slept around a bit when they were at school, but she hadn’t had enough self-confidence to confront him about it. She thought she’d got over that. She thought she’d got over the feeling she didn’t deserve someone as wonderful as him and should just take what he’d give her.
“And you, Cole?” she asked.
Cole ignored the question and concentrated on the game. Maybe she should tell Keira about Milly. In fact, she could spill everyone’s secrets and really spoil their day.
No, that wasn’t her. She’d keep her mouth shut. But she still didn’t know what to do about Luke. Maybe he was sincere. Maybe he was just trying to make everyone feel sorry for him. She didn’t know.
“It’s very romantic,” Keira ventured. She leaned over Cole’s shoulder and watched the progress of the game. “Would you sing to me, Cole, if I was cross with you?” she asked him.
“You wouldn’t want me to.” Cole killed off an alien. “You haven’t heard me sing. There’s a reason I’m the drummer.” Keira laughed and stood up. ‘Unchained Melody’ floated through the window for the third time.
“What’s one kiss?” asked Jess. Isaac looked at her like he wasn’t sure he agreed with that sentiment.
“Really, Tessa,” Keira said in the end. “You should let him in. The rest of us need a break from the noise.”
Maybe she should. Maybe she was over-reacting. Maybe it was time for the two of them to act like adults and talk about their relationship.
She sighed, stood up and went to the door and unlocked it. Luke’s lips looked blue with cold and it was a wonder his fingers could move enough to play the chords.
“Where did you stay last night?” she asked him.
“At the pub.” He stood up. Even in yesterday’s clothes and unshaven he looked appealing, still like everything she wanted. Still cute and completely untrustworthy.
“Why didn’t you come home last night?” she asked.
A shrug and a ‘get real’ look.
Okay, she’d always known he didn’t like confrontation any more than she did. That didn’t stop him behaving like an arsehole though.
“Am I forgiven?” he asked. “Can I come in?”
“I don’t know.” She studied him. He was more hesitant than she’d ever seen him before. Maybe he really was sorry. And he’d need to shower and get changed before he left for the pub. And all his things were in her room.
“All right. Come in. But this isn’t sorted.”
“Yeah, fine,” he sighed and came inside. “Can I have a shower to warm up before we try sorting anything?”
Tessa sat on the bed, the door shut. Luke was standing near, all wet hair and skin soft and warm from the shower. He still denied Rose was more than just an acquaintance, but she could see how edgy he was.
“You don’t know her well then?” she asked again.
He pulled his jeans up and did up the zip. “No, I told you, she’s just someone who works in the café where I buy my lunch.”
She felt bereft. She loved him, and it was her that Luke had come back to this morning. but she still didn’t trust him. He’d choose her again. She was almost certain of it. But she didn’t want to go back to the way they’d been.
She looked over at him standing by the doorway waiting. He was leaving in five days, and she didn’t want to spend the whole week fighting. She knew how that could go. She’d seen her mother lose that sort of fight again and again, and each time a little piece of her died.
There was no way she was putting that ring back on her finger or sleeping with him, because whatever Rose was to him, or wasn’t, the way he was acting he had to be lying.
She made the decision.
“This is the end,” she said quietly. “I thought I knew you. I thought you loved me, but you can’t love me enough.”
She stood up and went over to him. “For the others, I’ll pretend everything is fine until you leave. But don’t expect to come back. I won’t be waiting for you.”
She put her hand on his shoulder, then let the hand run down his arm, feeling the familiar shape of his muscles and the texture of his skin.
She kissed him softly, just a peck on the cheek. “But really, this is goodbye. And find somewhere else to sleep tonight.”
Luke watched Tessa open her bedroom door and go out into the passageway. She quietly shut the door behind her.
Well, he didn’t expect that. She’d just dumped him. He’d never seen Tessa act so classy and he absolutely believed her. He stared at the shut door for a while, then sat down on the bed where she’d been sitting.
Just like that she’d ended it. After six years together. He thought he knew her well enough to know how she’d react, but nothing about Tessa and the way she’d acted since she’d let him inside had been familiar. She’d been reserved, self-assured and classy.
He reached over, picked up the engagement ring off the bedside table, turned it around and studied the diamond. He’d tried to give it back to her after they’d talked for a while, thinking she’d relent and slip it back on her finger. But like everything he’d done and said in the last few hours that had backfired. She’d put it down immediately.
He tested the engagement ring on his little finger. It didn’t fit. The diamond glowered at him accusingly. In less than a week he’d managed to alienate everyone he cared about. His parents had replaced him in less than twenty-four hours. Rose didn’t want anything more to do with him. And now Tessa had dumped him too.
He leaned forward a bit and slipped the ring into his jeans pocket.
Still, now there was absolutely nothing left to hold him here. He could go to Australia with Stadium and if that didn’t work out he’d get Oliver Chapman to find him something else in the music world. He could sing, and he could play almost every bloody instrument that existed, he’d be a roadie if he had to. There’d be something he could do.
He stood up, grabbed his roll bag off the chair and dumped it on the bed. You wouldn’t catch him picking up a hammer again.
He put his shaver and stuff on top of the clothes already in the bag, scooped up the clothes he’d just changed out of, rolled them up and fired them in too. He zipped the bag up, slung it over his shoulder and left Tessa’s room.
For the first time in ages, he felt free.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the brilliant team who get my books ready for publication.
To Deryn, who reads and comments on the very first draft.
To everyone at Junction Publishing, Sandra who does the proofreading, and to Netta for the fabulous covers and formatting, and to Netta and Marco for being Junction Publishing.
Thanks to the team of PAs who tirelessly promote the books.
Thanks to all the wonderful readers who enjoy my books.
Love Meg
About the Author
Meg Buchanan lives in Paeroa, which is in the Coromandel in New Zealand. Her husband and a black labrador live with her.
Meg has been writing for the last five years, most of her books are set in the Coromandel as it has a rich history and is spectacularly beautiful. It also has advantage beautiful beaches, amazing scenery and Paeroa has streets that already have names, couple of rivers and a mountain nearby, and neighbouring towns, so she saves time on world building.
Also by Meg Buchanan
Out of His League - Prelude Series Part 1
Song for Jess - Prelude Series Part 2
Highly Strung - Prelude Series Part 3
Scavenger Hunt
Trojan Gene
