Surprisingly… Ricky doesn’t say anything. He just pulls me into him.
And I break.
I sob… harder than I ever have. Not quiet tears. Not controlled.
Ugly, shaking, uncontrollable sobs that feel like they’re tearing something out of my chest.
And he just… holds me. For a long time. I don’t know how long.
Minutes.
Maybe an hour.
His hand moves slowly up and down my back. Steady. Grounding.
His other hand slides into my hair, fingers brushing gently through it like he’s trying to calm something wild.
He doesn’t rush me.
He doesn’t interrupt.
He doesn’t say a single word.
And somehow that makes it worse.
Because I realize…he’s not doing this to get a reaction.
He’s just… here.
When I finally look up at him, my vision blurred and my face soaked, he doesn’t pull away.
He wipes my tears with his thumb. Carefully. Like I might fall apart again if he’s too rough.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I whisper.
Ricky’s jaw tightens slightly.
“No one deserves that,” he says quietly.
“Especially you.”
A beat. His eyes flicker over my face.
“I know what it feels like.”
I blink.
“You do?”
He lets out a short breath. Not quite a laugh. Not quite anything.
“I guess you think I’m a complete monster, huh?”
I shake my head slowly.
“I don’t think you’re a monster, Ricky…”
My voice softens.
“But I don’t understand why you were so mean to me all those years.”
I swallow.
“That’s why this is… confusing.”
His gaze shifts. For a second, just a second cracks.
Then it’s gone.
“I don’t blame you,” he says quietly.
Silence settles between us. Heavy. But it’s not uncomfortable. Different. And suddenly I’m very aware of everything.
His arms around me.
The heat of him.
How close we are.
Too close.
My breath catches. Ricky’s hands move to my face. Slow. Deliberate.
He tilts my chin up slightly. My lips part on instinct. I don’t even realize it’s happening.
This… This moment.
It feels like something is about to shift. Something I won’t be able to undo.
And for a split second… I don’t want to stop it.
Then Ricky pulls away. Fast. Like he caught himself. He turns, already walking back toward the beach.
“Do you want to stay here,” he calls over his shoulder,
“or go back to the cabin?”
The shift is so abrupt it leaves me disoriented.
“I… I want to go back,” I say quickly. “Please.”
He nods once.
“I’ll take you.”
A beat.
“I don’t want you going alone.”
“Okay… thanks, Ricky.”
“You’re welcome.”
He climbs onto the sea doo… I follow.
When I wrap my arms around him he stiffens. Just slightly. But I feel it.
Then he starts the engine and we take off.
Fast.
The wind hits my face. The water sprays around us. And for the first time since everything happened, I laugh.
It escapes me. Unexpected. Real.
Ricky glances back at me and smiles. Not mocking. Not sharp.
Just… real.
And for a second everything feels surreal. Fireworks explode above us. Color lighting up the sky. Water reflecting it beneath us.
And here I am holding onto the one person who has made my life hell for years…
Laughing. Right after my boyfriend cheated on me. And somehow this feels right. That realization should scare me. But it doesn’t.
We pull up to the dock. Ricky steps off first, then reaches for me. I take his hand but my balance slips.
I stumble forward… straight into him.
My hands press against his chest. His arms instinctively catch me. We both laugh.
And then… he looks down. At my mouth. The air shifts again.
“You’ve always been a klutz,” he murmurs.
“You’re such a jerk, Ricky,” I shoot back.
But there’s no heat in it this time. Movement catches my eye.
Sam.
He’s carrying his bags. Heading toward his car. Then he sees me. And starts walking over.
“Scarlett,” he says. “Can I please talk to you? Just for a minute?”
“No.”
My voice is immediate. Cold.
“I don’t want to talk to you. This is done.”
His expression hardens. Something ugly slips through.
“You know you’re going to end up alone, right?” he snaps.
“When you don’t ever put out for anyone, what do you think is going to happen?”
Something inside me snaps again. I move before I think. My foot connects hard. Sam doubles over instantly. Ricky laughs. Sharp. Unfiltered.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I say, my voice shaking with anger.
“You piece of shit.”
Sam straightens slowly, breathing hard. But he doesn’t argue. He just walks away. He doesn’t look back.
The sound of his car fades into the distance. And just like that he’s gone. Ricky and I walk inside.
I don’t even realize I’m crying again until I feel it. Wet. Hot. Constant. He notices. Of course he does.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
I shake my head. He doesn’t push it. He just leads me to the bedroom. Helps me lie down. Then starts to leave. Panic hits instantly. I grab his hand.
“Please stay.”
He pauses.
Then without a word he lays down behind me. His arms wrap around me again. And I break all over again.
“Sam was right,” I sob.
“I’m going to end up alone.”
My voice cracks.
“If I had just—”
I can barely say it.
“If I had just slept with him…”
“Stop.”
Ricky’s voice cuts through everything. Sharp.
“Don’t you dare say that.”
I freeze. His arms tighten around me.
“The right guy wouldn’t dream of cheating on you,” he says, low and certain.
“Whether you slept with him or not.”
Silence.
But this time it feels different. Safer.
I cry for a while longer. Until the exhaustion finally takes over. And before I know it I fall asleep. With Ricky still holding me.
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