Chapter Ten: After the Show
344 Words
Annie practically skipped off the stage, her face glowing with adrenaline. “Did you see me? I nailed it!”
Cassidy clapped. “You were incredible!"
Lila forced a smile. “Yeah, you did great.”
Annie paused, narrowing her eyes. “Okay, what happened? You look like someone just ran over your dog.”
Cassidy huffed. “More like her Marine showed up with another girl.”
Annie’s mouth fell open. “No! Who is she?”
Lila shook her head. “I don’t know. But she looks... comfortable with him.”
“Want me to go full sabotage mode?” Annie asked, cracking her knuckles.
Cassidy grinned. “I like where this is going.”
Lila sighed. “No. I just... I just need some space.”
She turned away from the crowd, walking toward the shore. The waves lapped at her feet, the cool water soothing her burning thoughts. But even as she tried to shake it off, she knew one thing for sure—
She had never felt so torn in her life. She hadn’t walked far when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she found Noah standing there, hands in his pockets, looking hesitant.
Lila crossed her arms. “Shouldn’t you be with your... friend?”
Noah sighed. “She’s my cousin, Lila.”
Lila blinked. “Your cousin?”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “She just got into town. I was showing her around. Nothing more.”
Heat rose in Lila’s cheeks. “Oh.”
Noah smirked. “You were jealous, weren’t you?”
“Absolutely not,” Lila said quickly, but the red on her face betrayed her.
Noah chuckled. “If you say so. But if you want, we can keep pretending you don’t care. Or...” He stepped closer, his voice lower. “You could just admit you feel something between us.”
Lila swallowed hard. The waves crashed around them, the world momentarily narrowing to just the two of them.
Maybe, just maybe, she was done pretending.
- Writer
