The Summer Before

Chapter Forty-Six

Tessa

"What the fuck!" Colin's angry voice shouted through the speaker.

I knew I shouldn't have waited so long to reply to his messages. Knowing him, he was probably halfway here to check that I was still alive. I made it home last night in record time, not wanting to be anywhere near Levi and his never-ending saga of bullshit.

The second I got home, I curled into bed, trying to will away the memory of everything that had happened over the last several days. The last hours I spent in Raleigh, in particular, were hard to dwell on.

I sincerely thought Levi and I had moved past the drama of last summer. Sure, I thought we'd have to talk about it at some point but not seconds after he shoved his hand up my dress!

He said he still had feelings for me, and I believed him. Then, he had to go and ruin everything by bringing up the elephant from the lake house.

When Levi told me what he thought he saw- what he thought of me- I was wounded. How could he think so little of me? Why would I ever do something like that to him?

I loved him.

I would never betray him like that, especially after the magical night we spent together. But he would.

He did. As soon as he could, he cozied up with the next willing skank just to get back at me- to hurt me. And he met his mark with that shot, making sure I'd feel it in my bones.

I know he was hurting over something he thought he understood at the time. But that doesn't make it okay. He should have come to me, talked to me. Had he done that, we would have never been put in the positions we've been in for the last year.

And I wouldn't be sitting here alone, feeling my heart break all over again.

"Tessa!"

Shit, Colin.

"Hey, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I just-"

"You almost gave me a heart attack! Why the hell didn't you just come here? There was no reason for you to drive all the way back in the middle of the night."

He was right, partially. I could have gone to his place to get away from Levi, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time. And the further the distance, the better. At least, that's how I rationalized it.

I sighed. "I know. I just wanted to put as much distance between Levi and myself as I could."

Then, it dawned on me. I hadn't told anyone I was leaving except for Levi. "Wait, how did you know I left anyway?"

I could almost hear the eye roll in Colin's voice. "Levi was blowing up Micah's phone trying to find you. He thought maybe you came to stay with us- which you should have done."

That would have been the smart thing to do, but emotional Tessa came out to play and decided to drive us all the way to the coast instead of doing the responsible thing. She knew I couldn't be anywhere near Levi for a moment longer.

Still, I should have at least told Colin or Leah what was going on. They shouldn't have heard it from Levi, of all people. "I know, Colin. I'm sorry. I just had to get out of there and put as many miles between Levi and myself as I could."

He was silent for a while before asking, "What the hell happened between you two anyway? And I don't just mean last night. What happened last summer, Tessa?"

I knew I couldn't hide it forever. It was only a matter of time before my friends' patience ran out, and they demanded answers. Guess it's time to fill in the blanks.

I took a deep breath before launching into the tale of last summer, sparing no detail. Knowing Colin, he'd wring it out of me anyway. I told him how things escalated between Levi and me, culminating in our night together before everything blew up.

Then, I told him about the following morning. I shared my story and Levi's interpretation of events. Colin listened to my tale, adding his colorful commentary here and there, especially when I told him what Levi did at the bar to get back at me.

When he heard that, he spewed several expletives about how big of a jackass Levi was and questioned why the fuck he would ever believe I could get back together with Benji. I had no answer for him.

By the end, I was mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up with a bottle of wine and forget everything that had happened this summer.

~

I'd been back home for a week, and things were starting to get back to normal. I was back in my usual routine, and work was a much-needed distraction from my personal life.

Colin filled Leah in on everything I told him. They both called and texted daily, making sure I was doing okay. Levi had been blowing up Colin and Micah's phones, begging for my phone number. They refused him, thankfully.

I have no idea what I'd say if he did get ahold of me. The sting of what he did last summer still burned fresh in my mind, hurting every time I thought about it.

Jason and Charlotte returned from their honeymoon, which she told me was the most fantastic week of her entire life. I was happy they didn't have the dark cloud of my messy love life drama hanging over them while they were away.

Someone deserved to be happy.

When she finished filling me in on every amazing detail of her time in the tropics, she asked how I was doing. I lied, not wanting to ruin her post-honeymoon high, but Char knows me better than almost anyone. She saw right through my façade.

After probing me, I finally caved and told her the truth. I shared everything with her that I had with Colin. That turned into me melting into a sobbing blob of emotions by the end of our conversation.

It only hurt worse when she said she thought Levi was acting strange when they returned. Charlotte mentioned that he looked beaten down and depressed, plastering on a fake smile when the couple returned home.

Clearly, the recent events had affected both of us. My heart ached to comfort him, but my ego was still heavily bruised from his confession. Even if I still had feelings for him, it was too soon for me to forgive him. I wasn't ready.

I didn't think I would be any time soon.

~

After another week, the pain in my chest was finally starting to subside. I threw myself into work, taking on extra shifts to help dull my senses, making myself stay busy to avoid dwelling on the one person my mind kept trying to return to.

I thought I was finally starting to see the light at the end of my tunnel. At the end of an extra-long shift, I drove home, absent-mindedly taking turns toward my house, letting my body and mind work on autopilot. I pulled into my driveway, hardly noticing the cars passing by.

I was so zoned out that I didn't notice the vehicle parked along the road. It wasn't until a jolt to my system startled me into reality. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked to my front door to find a stranger perched on my step.

After the initial shock, I got a better look at the man. I found myself looking into a pair of all-too-familiar blue eyes. He wasn't a stranger at all. Levi was standing right in front of me. 

A/N:

*dun dun dun* 

Levi's here... will Tessa let him in or will she send him away?