Still overcome with emotion and unable to put into words what she was feeling, she reached for the door handle.
“Where you going?”
“I gotta go,” was all she could manage to say, but he reached for her hand and held it.
“Wait. What’s wrong? What did I do?” She tried opening the door and pulling her hand away, but he held it tight. “Charlee talk to me,” he insisted, his voice as panicked as she felt. “This is why I said no guessing games. I suck at this. I’m totally lost here. Just tell me what I did.”
She gave up trying to get out of the truck and let her head fall back against the seat and tried gulping back the enormous boulder lodged in her throat now. “You’ll think I’m petty.”
“No, I won’t,” he said, quickly bringing his arm around her waist and sliding her closer to him. “Tell me,” he whispered in her ear.
That alone was enough to make her shiver even at a moment like this. Maybe she was a freak. She turned to face him. “It felt almost as if you were pretending nothing’s happened between us again while there were people around. Then as soon as we were alone, it was okay to do,” she touched his arm that held her close now, “this.”
This time, he let his head fall back. “I was pretending nothing happened.”
Her heart dropped, and she straightened out this time, successfully managing to pull away from him. “I knew it.” She opened the door and rushed out, slamming it behind her.
Hector was immediately out of the truck too. “Charlee wait!” She saw him rush around to catch her just a few parking spaces away, jumping in front of her. The moment he was face to face with her and saw her tears, his face went hard. “Fuck! I knew I should’ve just told you.”
“Told me what?” She searched his angry eyes. Her heart couldn’t take any more. If it was anything like what she was thinking, she was flying home tonight and never looking back.
“I was pretending, but not around everyone, just Walter.”
She stared at him, breathing hard as he wiped the tears from her face. “Walter?”
“Yes. He’s the reason why I didn’t try anything with you sooner.” He spoke quickly and deliberately now. “He’s why I asked you pretend nothing happened after that first kiss. He was totally into you, and I was supposed to be helping him impress you, but then I started falling for you. I tried my damnedest to fight it, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t until he told me he’d started seeing his grandfather’s nurse that I asked him if he was okay with me asking you out.”
He took a deep breath, pulling her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him, still processing everything he’d just said. He’d been helping Walter try to impress her? Walter was seeing Natalie now. But most importantly Hector wasn’t ashamed of her?
Pulling away but still holding her hand, he continued. “That was Saturday. I called you as soon as I finished talking to him, but he’d asked me not to mention his being all into you. He said it was embarrassing, so I didn’t think it was a big deal if I left that whole part out. Then tonight . . . It just felt weird. I know he’s seeing someone else now, but realizing how quick I was to move in on the girl he’d been pining for all this time, I kind of felt like an ass**le, so I thought I’d at least tone it down a little, maybe give it some time before I’m all over you in front of him.” He shook his head, still wiping the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should’ve just told you all this Saturday.” His expression went from deeply regretful to suddenly concerned. “But seriously, babe, why are you so quick to believe the worst? Did that sleazy first impression you had of me really stick that hard?”
“I never thought you were sleazy,” she frowned. “I told you, you made the most unforgettable first impression on me. Remember?”
“Yeah, but then I went and made that shithead move, asking you to pretend that night never happened.”
She nodded, glancing down. “I know, but I still never thought you were sleazy.” She kept it to herself that she and Drew did think him a pig after seeing him with those girls, but who was she kidding? The very next time she saw him, she was ready to let him kiss her regardless.
“So why jump and think the worst so fast?” He peered at her. “Talk to me, Charlee. I told you I’d try my damnedest to get this right, and I’m going to, but you need to help me out here. I don’t wanna have to worry you’re going to run off every time you think the worst.” He leaned his face sideways, looking into her eyes. “Tell me. What’s it gonna take to get you to believe I’m not a sleaze and I do love you. I just make stupid mistakes sometimes, but I’d never purposely hurt you.”
Charlee took a deep breath, feeling the enormous relief she’d felt a moment ago replaced with slow-boiling anxiety. “First of all, stop saying that. You’re not a sleaze, and I never thought you were one, but,” she glanced around then back at him, “you are right about one thing.” He lifted his brow now, waiting. “I am too quick to jump and think the worst.” She scoffed, shaking her head. “I was already having visions of jumping on a plane home tonight and never coming back.”
“What?” He spit the word out staring at her.
She wasn’t sure if he was more shocked at that or hurt, and, already, she regretted admitting it.