The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (388 page)

“A mopey ex-fiancée still holding onto a life that doesn’t exist anymore.”

“That was honest.” She wasn’t offended, just intrigued.

“But you’re not like that. You’re completely letting go of your past to embrace a totally new future. One with lots of questions.”

She nodded, “I haven’t completely let go, but I’m trying. Maybe you should try it sometime. Take a bit of your own advice from group. Put away your anger and resentment and just be happy with the time that you had with her. She sounds like she was special.”

“Maybe I should. So where can I stay in this quaint little town?”

“Well, there’s a B&B in town.”

“Smashing. I’ll find it.” He took out his phone and started scrolling. “You good?”

“Yeah, I’m staying with my parents. Actually, we should get back, Claire’s going to worry.”

He stood up slowly offering her a hand. She took it but once she was up, he didn’t let go. They walked back to the party together. Victoria tried to ignore the chills because she knew they weren’t from the water, they were from him.

“Y
our phone’s been going off an awful lot,” Victoria’s mom commented the next morning. It was true; Brighton hadn’t stopped texting since last night.

“Yeah well...”

“Well, who is he?” Her mom turned her back to Victoria and continued to work on her pancakes.

Victoria sighed, “His name is Brighton, he’s from group.”

“Oh?” She could tell her mom was playing games. Either she already knew about him, thanks to Kate, or she didn’t want to spook her.

“Go ahead, Mom, tell me what you want to know.” I downed the rest of my orange juice like it would help me get the words out.

Her mom turned around wiping her hands on her apron. With her beautiful blonde hair and soft blue eyes she was just an older version of Victoria and Fallon. “I want to know if he makes you happy. Parents always worry about their kids no matter how old they are. So does he make you happy?”

That was so much more of a loaded question than Victoria was prepared for. “He makes me think. And he makes me feel.”

Her mother nodded. “Okay then.”

Victoria held her empty glass in her hands. “I don’t want to be empty anymore Mom. I want to be more than that.”

Her mom came over and sat down in the chair next to her, reaching across to take Victoria’s hands in her own. “Then be more.”

Victoria called Brighton after talking with her mom. She wanted to spend more time with Brighton; he made her think.

“Did you have fun last night?” He asked smugly.

“It was interesting.”

“Adventurous?”

“Yes, you could call it that.”

“So I have a two hour drive back to school today. Any interest in joining me?”

“You and me in the car for two hours. I don’t know... besides I drove up here with Claire.”

“Okay,” he sounded defeated.

She didn’t want to disappoint him. She wanted to give this real effort. “You know what? Let me text Claire.”

“Brilliant. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

“Great, I’ll text you my parent’s address.” Wow awkward.

He was silent for a minute before he said, “Cheers,” and hung up the phone.

Two uninterrupted hours alone with Brighton. She was getting adventurous.

When Victoria texted Claire a few minutes later she wasn’t shocked by the response.

You’re going home with him?

-Well he’s taking me home.

Yeah

-What?

Nothing. Good for you. I’m going to Brad’s. I’ll see you at home tonight

-K. See ya.

She knew what Claire was thinking without even hearing her voice. This wasn’t the Victoria she knew, the planned out calculated type A person who was never spontaneous. But Brighton made her feel daring. That there was some great mystery behind each corner and he would help her put the puzzle pieces together to figure it out.

She packed her things quickly and sat out on the front porch with her bag next to her reading book. At first when the silver Audi showed up she didn’t even move. When she heard the footsteps approach her she looked up from her latest novel.

“All right?”

“Yeah. Let me just say goodbye to my mom. My dad is on a golf trip.”

He nodded and she turned swiftly and went into the house. She ran into the kitchen where her mom was still working on her latest baking masterpiece.

“I’m leaving Mom.”

Her mother wiped her hands on her apron and embraced her. “Love you kiddo.”

“Love you too Mom.”

As she left the house she heard her mom yell to them saying, “Be safe.” Some things parents will always tell you, but sometimes they mean more than you realize.

Brighton had already put her bag in the car and started the engine. He was leaning casually next to the passenger side door and opened it upon her arrival. She sat down expecting to be nervous but instead felt relaxed as he pulled out of her driveway and they started their trip.

“Your house is amazing. You grew up there, right?”

She nodded, “Yeah, my parents, my sister, and I.”

“Older or younger?”

“She’s got three years on me. She’s married now, but she lives close by. That was my plan to until...”

“Until your boyfriend got shot?” The way he said it, so nonchalant, suddenly made Victoria feel uncomfortable.

“He wasn’t just my boyfriend. Levi was everything to me.”

He looked over at her with his mouth open slightly. His chiseled features outlined by the sun behind him. “I didn’t mean to offend. That was stupid of me to say.”

“I’m glad you see it that way. But yeah, I didn’t have any plans to move far away, but I kind of like where I live now.”

“Sometimes I miss London. The architecture and the beauty of its age, but there’s nothing there for me anymore. Is there something here for you?”

She shrugged, unsure how to answer him. Was there anything here for her anymore? She didn’t know. Her family would always be in Cape Haven, but her past haunted her here too.

They sat in silence for a while listening to music. Victoria almost fell asleep before Brighton let it be known why he actually asked to take her home.

“So are you seeing anyone?”

“No, are you?”

He smiled, “No, but there’s someone I would like to see.”

“Oh? Who’s that?”

“You.”

She gulped. How was she supposed to respond to that? He knew her past and knew that she wasn’t ready to start dating yet. But here he was professing his feelings for her. And she had to admit that her heart was beating harder than it had in months.

“Me?” She choked out. “Why me?”

“You’re interesting and unique.”

“I am?”

“You are. You’re also incredibly beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She was sincere knowing that his words were honest made her feel grateful for his compliments.

“So what do you think?”

She looked out the window unable to make eye contact with them. She knew if she looked into those green eyes that she wouldn’t tell him the truth.

“I’m not ready yet. I want to be, but I’m not.”

“Do you feel anything for me?”

She knew that she did. She couldn’t stop thinking about the way that he talked or about how he made her feel. Brighton was something special; someone she wanted to hold onto.

“Yes,” she whispered. “But that doesn’t change the way that I feel.”

As they approached her apartment complex he stopped. “But you do feel something for me. And that’s a start.”

She nodded, pursing her lips.

He pulled up in front of her apartment and got her bag without another word. He opened her door and when she exited the car he passed her luggage to her.

“This is goodbye.”

“So it is,” she offered, still stunned by their conversation in the car.

“I’ll call you. And I’m not some American prick, so I actually will call.”

She laughed, “Good to know.”

He kissed her quickly on the cheek. “Goodbye Victoria.”

She rubbed the spot where he had left his mark of affection. “Bye.”

T
wo months passed and Victoria spent most of her free time with Brighton. They spent their days perusing books and talking about their futures. Making big decisions with someone that was so new to her seemed so foreign but at the same time exhilarating. Graduation and the holidays were quickly approaching and she was trying to figure out where she would go from here. And if Brighton would be a part of it.

“What do you think about this one?” She said tossing him a brochure of a campus on the West Coast.

“Uhhh... totally?”

She playfully hit him with another pamphlet. “You know graduation is only a couple weeks away and I need to make a decision.”

“What about your book?” He rested his hands behind his head and leaned back on her bed.

“What about it?”

“You said that’s what you want to do. I think you should go for it. Clean up your poems, send them off and then write your novel. It would be good for you.” He rubbed her back, “For us.”

“Us.” He had been mentioning that word a lot in the past month. He had only kissed her on the cheek, taking things slow out of respect for her, but she knew he was getting restless.

“You’re probably right. Why are you always right?”

He laughed, “It’s a gift.”

“Shut up.”

He changed the subject. “You going to watch that film from your production class? I heard it’s terrible.”

“Yeah probably, are you going back to your cozy little apartment for the night?”

He sat up, “Actually I was thinking of spending it here.”

“Here?” She was shocked, he had never asked to spend the night before.

“You okay with that?”

She took a deep breath, “Sure.” Walking over to her desk she got out her laptop and found the video online. “But you have to watch this so called terrible film with me.”

“Black and white? Really?”

“Yep!” She smiled before plopping back on the bed. He moved back and put his arm up for her to snuggle in. It was the first time she had been in this position since Levi. But she felt comfortable and safe with Brighton. She could do this with him.

Before long the film took it’s first victim and although Brighton sat upright he was snoring in Victoria’s ear. She knew she couldn’t move without waking him, so she stayed there. Encased by his warmth and lulled by his breathing she spent the night in his arms.

The next morning she awoke alone with a note next to her.

Early class, see you for dinner- B

She wanted to savor the moment so she grabbed her poetry journal from the drawer in her bedside table and with it, she accidently picked up her promise ring still attached to the chain.

She held the note in one hand, and the ring in the other. Her two choices. The past, or the future. Who would she choose?

###

W
hen she talked to Kate a few weeks before Christmas, she was still mulling things over her head. She wasn’t sure she was completely ready for a relationship, but she didn’t want to let Brighton go either.

She waited for Kate to respond. She felt like the silence was speaking more than Kate’s words.

“What is it Kate?”

“I think you should have a conversation with Brighton. I just think he deserves to know where the two of you stand.”

“Fine. I will talk to him. Happy?” This conversation was taking an emotional toll on Victoria and she was ready for it to end.

“Sure.” Kate didn’t even try any small talk afterwards; she quickly hung up the phone. Victoria sat down on the edge of her bed and looked around her small room contemplating her future. Her Masters was something she was considering. Law school was out of the picture since she had taken a break from school when Levi passed away. It seemed so long ago but only six months had passed. She wasn’t sure she was ready to continue on the same path she had been on only a year ago. Her life is so different now; even her hobbies and interests had changed. And then there was Brighton. He had changed her in a way. Made her stronger and she respected him for that. But did she love him? She wasn’t sure. She dragged her fingers across the bedspread knowing that the only way to find out how he really felt about her was to have the conversation that Kate had indicated. She looked down at her phone still in her hands and clicked the favorites button. He was the second person on her list. She pressed call and he answered immediately.