Page 45 of Never Forever
But I told myself every time I missed his calls, or he didn’t return a text, that we would be okay as soon as we got out of Calico Cove.
The second I saw his face I knew we weren’t going to be okay.
“Hey, I was getting worried,” I said, clinging with all my strength to hope. To us. I smiled as hard as I could. “Everything okay?”
“No. No, everything is not okay.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. He kicked a stone into the shadows. “Matt?”
“I’m not going with you,” he said.
“Not going?” I asked. My ears were buzzing so loud. Maybe I didn’t hear him correctly. I couldn’t have heard him right. The Matt Sullivan who loved me, was not breaking my heart. Not right now. Not with my bags at my feet.
“With you. To Boston.”
My breath left in a whoosh, an incredulous laugh. “I…don’t understand what’s happening right now.”
“I need you to catch up real quick, Carrie.”
My head snapped back like I’d been hit. He was being rude to me. Curt. Matt was never curt with me.
“I’m not going to Boston, I’m not going to school.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. You have a scholarship! A free ride.”
“I’m taking over the ferry route from Dad. I want to stay here. This is my home.”
“Okay, what is going on here?” I asked, now my laughter was hysterical. Crazy. “Is this a joke?”
Please. Please let it be a joke.
“I’m not joking,” he said, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and looked me right in the eyes. “I’m breaking up with you. Aren’t you listening?”
“You are breaking up with me?” I repeated. I felt like I was floating. Dreaming maybe? This was just so nuts.
He just looked at me. Hollow eyed and expressionless.
“Why?” I asked, my voice a whisper.
“Come on, Carrie. This was never going to work out,” he said it like I was a fool for not realizing it first. Like I’d been a child wishing on stars and believing in fairy tales. “I should have told you sooner.”
“Tell me what?” I pushed him. He was silent, a muscle in his jaw ticking. His eyes…oh, God his eyes were so pitying. “Tell me what?!” I shouted.
“I don’t love you, Carrie.”
“Bullshit,” I spat. No one loved me more. Did he think I didn’t know that in my bones?
His mouth was pressed into a thin line. “Then I guess I don’t love you enough.”
I sucked in a breath. All that pain I didn’t feel earlier sliced through my skin and crushed my bones.
“Enough for what?”
“Enough to leave this place. To be the boyfriend of someone who is going to be famous. I have no interest in being Mr. Piedmont.”
This wasn’t right. What he was saying didn’t make any sense.
“It was a fucking toothpaste commercial!” I railed.