The Ex

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kehlani laughs, "let's begin our volcano tour."

The novelty of being on an active volcano is not lost on any of us. We hike across the crater floor where we see several steam vents. The entire time I manage to keep my distance from both the heat of the volcano and Ethan.

Reaching the lava viewing area, Kehlani points into the distance, "over my shoulder, you can see land that is less than an hour old."

We look in awe at the smoldering rock and red hot lava. After an entire day of hiking, we have reached our final destination.

"Now we will be heading into a lava tube. As always, please be on high alert for any possible dangers and stay on track. As the walking space is quite narrow, I ask that you walk two-by-two. Please find a partner."

Everyone begins to couple up and stand by the entrance. Waiting patiently, I look around to determine who remains without a partner. I make eye contact with Sophie's cousin, Natalie. We share a smile and I begin towards her. Liam stands directly in front of me, blocking my path.

His evil smirk has me on high alert, "obviously the best man and maid of honor should be partners."

Looking around at the inquisitive faces in the group, my gaze lands on Ethan, whose wide-eyed expression matches my own. There is no reason for me to say no, and Liam knows it. With that sentence alone, he has sealed my fate.

"Of course," I say with a small smile.

Ethan offers nothing but a simple nod while Liam turns back to me.

"Payback," he whispers with a teasing grin.

I scowl at him as he grabs Sophie's hand and leads the way. We wait in silence as the rest of the group follows. David and Janine are the last in line, her encouraging smile prompts me to move. I don't acknowledge Ethan, instead, I keep my gaze forward. Up ahead, Kehlani speaks about bright yellow and gold microbial mats but my attention is solely on the man beside me. The tightness of the walkway means that each step forward brings us closer. The spark that travels through my body when my side touches his has me reconsidering every thought I've ever had about keeping my distance.

"Charlotte," Ethan whispers.

The deep drawl of my name has me involuntarily turning in his direction.

"About the other day-," he continues.

I'm momentarily mesmerized by how his eyes look silver in the darkness of the tube. "We don't need to talk about it," I murmur, forcing my attention away from him.

"We do. If you want space, I promise that I'll give it to you."

"I'd appreciate that," I answer warily at his genuine expression.

I don't trust him and given my skeptical look, he knows it.

"I need to apologize for the way I've been acting. For everything." I don't need to look at him to know he's speaking the truth. The tone of his voice is tortured. Despite everything, I can't help the way my heart aches at his anguish.

"Since when do you apologize?" I say suspiciously, keeping my stride even.

"You're not the only one who's changed in the last five years," his smile doesn't reach his eyes. "I should never have provoked you and the situation." He proceeds when I say nothing, "and bringing Bella into all of this wasn't fair on her or you."