I wondered if asking him how he’d gotten to the Sweet Oak Boys Ranch was too invasive. Maybe he did something bad. Like real bad. Maybe he robbed a bank. Or stole a car. Or punched a little old man. My mind was running wild. There was a reason Hunter didn’t like him. I wanted to know why.
Not that it mattered what Hunter thought. We were friends, but that didn’t mean he got to dictate who I dated.
Just as I was trying to shove the thought of Hunter out of my mind, I looked down the row of seats to see a couple shuffling their way toward us. My jaw dropped when I got a good look at them. Shock, then horror, and then outrage rolled through me in a matter of seconds.
“Hey, Char.” Hunter nodded stiffly at me. He wore a determined frown as he sat, leaving three seats between us.
Hunter showing up unannounced at my date was bad enough. I didn’t need a babysitter. Especially a babysitter I was currently trying to forget about. But it was the girl on his other side who had me wanting to throw my Milk Duds at them.
Sarah-freaking-Claiborne.
Sarah wore a skirt that was a little too short with a shirt that showed off an inch of skin at the waistline. And the way she clung to Hunter’s arm had me grinding my teeth. It seemed that she’d recuperated from her discussion with her mother earlier. It was too bad I’d wasted a moment of my life feeling sorry for her. She smirked at me in the dim light, taking a seat on Hunter’s other side, and immediately leaned over to whisper something in his ear.
“What are they doing here?” I growled, popcorn spilling over the edges of the bag as I squeezed it too tight.
Graham glanced down at Hunter and narrowed his eyes. With a determined scowl, he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me toward him. “I don’t know, but don’t let them bother you, babe.”
The theater darkened and the movie began to play. I should’ve been over the moon about Graham calling me babe and putting his arm around me, but I couldn’t shake off this feeling of utter betrayal.
Of all people, Hunter had to show up with her. He knew how much I hated Sarah. It wasn’t right. The thought of her touching him, giggling in his ear, or holding his hand made me tense with rage. And the sudden vision in my head I got of them making out just three seats away was enough to make me want to throw up.
And the longer the movie went on, the worse it got. I kept glancing over at them to be sure nothing was going on. Hunter had shifted forward in his chair, his hands gripping his knees. Sarah would lean into him every few moments to whisper. He’d nod. Sometimes he’d give her a quick smile. But every agonizing second felt like a betrayal.
Graham’s fingers on my shoulder were massaging me gently, even as the scary scenes began to flicker across the screen. I wanted to relax into his touch, but it didn’t feel right. An especially gruesome scene made me jump in his direction and hide my face with my hands. He just chuckled and lifted my chin with his finger until our gazes met.
“It’s okay, Charlotte,” he said, his eyes twinkling in the dark. “It’s just a movie.”
“I probably should’ve mentioned I’m not so great with horror flicks,” I whispered.
He chuckled again, his eyes searching my face. They glistened with a teasing glow. “Maybe we should concentrate on something else, then...”
My breath hitched in my lungs. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. The very reason I’d subjected myself to this bloodbath of a movie in the first place. One kiss was all it would take.
Graham leaned in closer, his lips forming a slightly cocky grin as he stared down at my mouth. His fingers splayed over my cheek, guiding me toward him. I froze stiff, like a tree branch after a freezing rain. His lips came ever nearer, his eyes closing in anticipation, and I just sat there. Frozen solid. Completely numb. When his mouth was almost on me, I bolted out of my chair, popcorn flying everywhere.
“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” My mouth felt as dry as the Sahara Desert, but I tried to swallow anyway. “I have to go. Excuse me.”
He grunted as I climbed over him and headed toward the exit as fast as my feet would carry me. In my hands I held the limp popcorn bag. My heart was beating incredibly fast. My chest felt tight. I couldn’t breathe. Not until I got to the brightly lit lobby and leaned over an empty metal chair, forcing my lungs to work.
Crap. I’d just run out on my extremely hot date to hyperventilate in the lobby. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just be a normal teenaged girl? I ruined everything.
I was a ruiner. I’d nearly ruined my sister’s relationship with her new boyfriend before it even began. I’d nearly ruined my own life by partying with people I knew didn’t care about me. And now, I was ruining any possible future with Graham. I was the worst.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
I looked over my shoulder to see Graham walking toward me. He wore a scowl, his shirt dotted with oily popcorn stains.
“I’m so sorry, Graham.” I handed him the empty popcorn bag and hugged my torso with my arms. “I just had to get out of there. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
He shifted his feet impatiently. “Well, are you coming back in or not?”
I shook my head. “Can we take a raincheck? I think I need a walk to clear my head. You’ll have to finish the movie without me.”
A little time alone would probably do me some good. My head was still spinning from the events of the last couple days. Maybe, with a little time beneath the stars, I could finally figure out what was so wrong with me that I had to go and ruin everything around me.
Raking a hand over his head, Graham scoffed. “I can’t believe I snuck out for this.”
I shrunk a little into myself. I hadn’t known he’d snuck out to go on this date. I never would’ve asked him to, if I’d known. “I’m really sorry, Graham.”