Come Back To Me (chapters 1-9) by Paige569 (top 100 books of all time checklist .txt) 📖

be a believable smile as I walked past him and out of the room.

I couldn't read his expression. He just gave me a half smile and stood in the den looking at the mantel and my empty glass.

As I walked away, I felt maybe a little better. The hurt was still there, but maybe, just maybe there was hope. I looked at Vanessa sitting on the couch with her long legs folded like silk against one another.

No, probably no hope at all, how could I compete with her looking like that and me like... well me?

"Hey there you are sugar; I've been looking all over for you."

"I was just talking to Dylan Pops," I said, unable to hide the faint smile that formed on my lips. I couldn't help it. We had shared an innocent moment, but being so close to him, like I just had been, made me feel warm.

"That boy gave us quiet a shock didn't he Kate," my father scoffed, "I mean Dylan, Married! You know, you're probably going to think I'm crazy for saying this." He smiled shaking his head.

"What?" I asked with my brows furrowed together.

"Well...I always thought the two of you would get married one of these days, you were so close when
you were kids and I know you never thought of each other romantically, but...hmm I don't know..." he said trailing off.

It might have been less painful if he had just shot me.

Behind him, I could see Dylan standing there looking at me. I hoped he hadn't heard what my father had just said, but judging by the look on his face, he had.

"Don't be ridiculous," I said nudging my father's arm. I met Dylan's eyes, "It was never like that for me and Dylan," I looked away when I heard Mrs. Walsh yell something in our direction.

"Dylan! Dylan get in here!"she yelled, "Vanessa's about to tell us how you two met," she said excitedly as her and my very own mother rushed into the living room for their seat around the suddenly formed circle.

I grabbed the drink out of my father's hand, ignoring the slight protest he gave me with his eyes, before shrugging it off.

"Well I would have to say it was love at first sight for me," she giggled settling into Dylan's side as he took his place beside her.

This was definitely going to be a long night.


Chapter 4

Was I the only one disgusted by this?

I'm looking around the room at my very own parents who are unknowingly betraying me as they participate in this story of love at first sight.

Apparently, she saw him sitting alone in the library every Tuesday and knew then that she and I quote, "just had to have him." She would try to catch his attention by bringing him snacks, brownies, cookies, which she says he loved.

Did she not know Dylan hated chocolate? It seemed she knew nothing about him at all and what was worse was him. He sat next to her nodding his head and agreeing to this and that as she rambled on about little qualities they shared.

I thought back to my own first memory of Dylan. I was four and he knocked me over for playing with his toy cars....

Love at first sight?

No, not exactly, but it didn't take long for me to know I would love him.

Love, the word echoed around my mind and I thought back to when I remember really loving him. It had too have been when his father built him that tree house and he invited me, only me out of any other kids to be the first to step foot onto the smooth plains of its second hand wooden floors. He said it was our special place and that no one, not even his best guy friends could come up.

I smiled at the memory, but the second my vision shot back into reality at the huddled group surrounding Dylan and his fiancé, I could feel the sadness seep across my face.

I needed air.

No one noticed when I slid out of the room and behind the sliding glass door.

It was chilly out and the wind blew my hair past my shoulders and maybe it was the drink, but my skin tingled and I was a little wobbly on my feet as I walked across the grass to the tree that separated our two back yards.

The ladder was missing a few steps, but I felt the need to be up there.

Slowly, one by one, I climbed the ladder until I reached the top and heaved myself onto the dusty floor of the old tree house that hadn't been used in years and after tonight probably wouldn't for many more.

Tomorrow I was leaving; I didn't know when I was coming back, but before I left there was something
I needed to do. I needed to say good bye to whatever was left of me and Dylan and this wooden structure seemed to be it. It held our first and only kiss, the memory of the night he left and other countless reminiscences that rested in this place where I had stored them.

I closed my eyes and once again the tears sneakily escaped down my face and I buried my head in my hands.

I felt like a coward and a fool. Not only had I thought after all this time that Dylan would come back to me, but I was now running away without even giving up a fight.

I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms across them.

I sat like that for a while until I heard the weight of someone pressing down on the ancient ladder, it was faint and hard to hear through the rattling wind, but someone was making their way up.

I wiped my face and my heart began to race like it had earlier with Dylan in the den.

"Dylan?" I called out, slightly hopeful.

When I saw the shaggy hair appear across the top of the opening my stomach dropped in disappointment, it was only Jared.

"Hey Kate, you mind if I come up here?" he asked.

This is not what I needed and I didn't want to be mean, but I had already subtly hinted that I wasn't up for chit chat.

"Listen Jared-, "I started.

"Look," he cut in, " I'll only be a second okay," he looked around the small open room with a lop sided grin, "I always wanted to come up here when I was a kid, but...well you know," he laughed, "it was strictly forbidden to anyone other than you two." As the last words left his mouth, his face became a little more serious and soft.

His hands were placed on either side of the opening and only his face and upper body were within view.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well, come in then," I said with a small smile.

His face lit.

With much difficulty, he pulled his long body into the tree house and I had to admit it was ridiculous.
He fumbled and crawled and it was funny watching a grown man try to crawl into this child's play thing.

"Is it everything you dreamed?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yes," his grin turned into a tight line," I have to admit though..."

There was that look again, the seriousness and softness.

"What?" I asked my brow creased in the center.

"I was more worried about you?" he said looking straight into my eyes as if searching for something.

I looked away out the small wooden cut out hole we called a window.
"What do you mean?" I whispered.

My hands were slightly shacking and I held my breath, not wanting him to see the unevenness of my breathing.
He knew I was broken and that I was in pain. I didn't want his pity or his comfort, I only wanted Dylan's.

"Listen Kate, it's no secret how you felt about him, you never dated any of us in school, in fact you ignored us half the time," he said reaching out for my face with his hand and forcing me to look at him, "It was always clear the only one you saw in your eyes was him and here he shows up with this Vanessa, I just...."

"Stop!" I said or shouted while jerking my face away. I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want to hear that my secret was never a secret, but an open book for everyone to read, except to the only one I wanted to, "you don't know what you're talking about Jared," I yelled, "you have no right coming up here and talking to me like this, Dylan's my friend," I sounded hysterical, "my friend and nothing else, not now, not ever!"

And then I was crying, nearly uncontrollably.

Jared scooted next to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders drawing me against him. He was warm and maybe not what I wanted, but he was there and he cared.

"Shhhh," he soothed as he stroked my hair and pressed my head against his chest, "you're going to be alright Kate, everything going to be alright," he said his words like a promise, but I didn't believe him.

How could anything be alright when everything was so wrong?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, "I was never very nice to you and...well we were never really friends growing up," I said quietly.

A strange flicker shot across his eyes and was quickly concealed, covered up with a slight smile, "It doesn't matter, I could just tell you needed someone to understand what you were going through and I do okay," he patted my back before releasing me from his arms.

"Come on, why don't you go on home and I'll tell everyone you weren't feeling too well," he said with questioning eyes, asking me if this plan was okay.

"Okay," I nodded.

When we were both back on the ground I suddenly felt very awkward. He knew too much about me now and understood too much as well.

"So ... I guess I'll see you around?" he asked, unsure.

I thought about it for a second before I mumbled a lie, "sure."

He started to walk away, "and Jared," I called out.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Thank you... for that," I said glancing up at the tree.

He smiled before heading back inside to join the rest of the party.

After a lingered second of looking around, I started walking across the yard to my own house. When I reached the porch, I unclasped the straps of my heels and stretched my feet all the way to the tips of my toes that felt like they had been suffocating within the confines of my beautiful, but painful shoes.

I had told Jared I would see him around, but I wouldn't. When I went inside, I would pack my things and I would leave.

chapter 5


I was sitting on the edge of my bed fully dressed. The clock on my night stand read three thirty am and I let out a shaky breathe. I wanted to get an early head start and hit the road before the sun came up and if I