Bethany's coughing interrupted Oliver's response.
"Are you alright, babe?"
"Yes, just a bit of pepper in my throat. So tell us about this girl."
Oliver looked at her and wondered what she was up to. "I'm sorry was there too much pepper?" He had put in very little.
"No, it's fine. Truly delicious. So..."
"What's to tell? I worked at the beach my last summer before I graduated. I met the most wonderful girl in the world and fell in love. Then when summer was over, I walked away and left her. It was the biggest regret of my life."
Lucas asked, "Have you found her since you've been back?"
"Yes, but she's involved with someone. I'd like to have the chance to tell her I've never stopped loving her and wish I never walked away that day." As he spoke he saw Beth staring intently at the food on her plate. "I should go back to the kitchen."
He stood and walked away from her again.
By the end of July, Oliver couldn't hold it in any longer. Holding her in his arms he said, "I love you. I know I shouldn't, but I do."
"Enough to leave her?"
"I don't know," he mumbled.
"Would it make a difference if I told you I love you too?"
"Maybe."
He captured her mouth and they enjoyed their love.
When the end of the summer was nipping at their heels, they made a pact. He would come back in mid-October with a decision regarding Beth and Hayley. Walking away from Beth was the worst day of his life.
He made the wrong decision and had regretted it ever since. He chose Hayley because he had been with her for so long and because their parents were best friends. He chose her for every reason, except the most important, love.
YOU ARE READING
Cold Outside
Romance(Completed) With a past and now a present, can they have a future? Once again Bethany is planning the foundation's annual winter gala and the last person she expects to see is the one who walked away from her. After years of moving on, he is sudden...
