Peyton: Why?

Callum: Because you want to see me, too.

Her breath caught and she swallowed hard. No denying it. She wanted to see him. Wanted an explanation for the tears. She wanted a lot of explanations from Callum Reid.

Peyton: Where?

Callum: You know where, Peyton.

Peyton hugged her thick jacket tighter as she walked over the hill and to the lake. The sun had already set and the temperature was dropping. After her morning bath, she’d pulled out the box from under her bed. It was a box of things he had left behind and little things they’d collected together. She’d gone through the contents for the first time in over four years. She’d come across a small, dried branch of pink cherry blossoms. It was the same branch he’d broken off for her the first time they’d sat under the tree outside her window. She’d kept it and cherished it until it had found its way into the box under her bed.

Her phone vibrated, so Peyton took it out of her pocket as she walked on the hotel grounds. She read the new message from Callum.

Callum: I’ll be here waiting for you. Whenever you’re ready.

She stopped just outside the path that took her into the woods and to their circle of trees. A place in this world that she both loved and hated. A place where she felt secure and insecure. A place where he never reciprocated her love.

Peyton: I should turn back.

Callum: You should. But I don’t want you to.

Peyton: What do you want?

Callum: To be with you.

She stared at his message and swallowed hard.

Callum: And to not be with you.

Her heart plunged.

Callum: But I want to be with you. I’ve always wanted to be with you. But I couldn’t and shouldn’t. You’re smart, Peyton. It would be stupid to be with me tonight.

Peyton looked back and stared in the direction of her street and then at the path. Then she glanced down at her phone and typed.

Peyton: I’m stupid.

Peyton: And I’m foolish.

Peyton: But foremost, I am stupid.

Once the message sent, she locked her phone and returned it to her pocket. The darkened forest that met her was one she stared at for a moment before she took a step towards it.

It didn’t take long until Peyton found the circular rock, and she walked down the short incline, avoiding loose rocks and fresh mud, to see orange flashing. Slowly, she trekked through the dense foliage until she broke into the circle of trees. She stepped forward, dry leaves rustling under her foot, and Callum turned his head to her. He sat on a checker blanket, staring at the small makeshift fire that burned brightly enough to illuminate his face.

He gave her a tight smile as the vibrant red and orange of the flames reflected on his skin. She didn’t say anything as she made her way over and sat on the blanket next to him. She crossed her legs as she appreciated the warmth from the fire. Peyton didn’t look at him. Instead, she took in her surroundings. This moment resembled the night she’d lost her virginity to him. The stars were brighter now than before, but there was no fog. Last time, they hadn’t had a fire—they’d had lanterns.

The memories played heavy on her heart and Peyton shook her head to rid them. That had been the last time that he’d held her before he’d broken her heart.

“I’m sorry about this morning, Peyton,” Callum quietly said.

She turned her head to see him staring intently at the fire like he had the night he’d kissed her. Another memory. Another moment.

Peyton clenched her jaw before she spoke. “You cried, Callum.”

He flinched. “You don’t know the truth, Peyton.”

It was her turn to flinch. “Then give me the truth.”

Callum slowly turned his head until his eyes met hers. “You don’t want it,” he replied.

Her heart burst in frustration. “I want it as much as I wanted you.”

He closed his eyes for a second before he maneuvered his body so that he faced her properly. Then he looked down at his hands before meeting her eyes, the pain returning to his grey ones. Peyton leaned forward, never breaking eye contact, and gripped his shirt tight within her grasps. After a deep breath, she pulled his face close to hers, their lips almost touching.

“Why did you cry, Callum?” she asked.

She noticed his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. “Because you don’t deserve to have me in your life. I will hurt you.”

The air in Peyton’s lungs was drawn out and she was reminded just how temporary his stay is. Every inch of his face was filled with pain. Her heart wanted more, but it also wanted now. Callum couldn’t offer past his stay, but he had promised now. And in some screwed-up way, she wanted what she could have in this exact minute. In this moment, she would let her heart win.

“Then I look forward to it,” she stated, and she felt Callum flinch underneath her fingers.

My name is Peyton Spencer, and I am by far the stupidest woman on this Earth.

She nodded at her thought and ignored the way Callum’s eyes were fixated on her lips. His breathing became heavy pants, and she held his shirt tighter.

“Tell me no, Peyton. Goddammit, tell me no,” he begged desperately.

Her eyes met his before she whispered, “Yes,” and brought his lips to hers.

Her head screamed at how irresponsible she was being, but she couldn’t help herself. There was an undeniable draw to him. It had been there for as long as she could remember. Stupidity and heart were winning. Whatever she could have now, she’d rather take. No matter if a broken heart was what lay ahead of her.

Callum’s tongue found hers and they discovered a rhythm of strokes begging of desperation and control. A moan escaped her, but she didn’t care. The last time she was ever this close to anyone was when she was seventeen. In this exact same spot.

Peyton lay back on the blanket, bringing him down with her, and he settled between her thighs. They both sighed at the contact of their bodies. Every thought she managed was placed in a dark room in her mind and locked. She needed this. She needed the pain to go away. And Callum’s mouth on hers was relief.

“Oh, God,” she softly moaned the moment he moved against her. Then she arched her back, moving her lips away from his as she experienced the small burst of pleasure.

Callum’s mouth went to her neck and slowly trailed up and down, ghosting his lips along her skin. The image of him crying wouldn’t leave her and she hoped this intimate act between them would drowned it out. After Peyton found the hem of his shirt, he propped himself up and looked into her eyes. She noticed a glint to those confusing grey pools. The control was either gone or broken. One or the other. He was reluctant and she was offering. And she knew that he needed direction.

“Tell me you don’t want this, Peyton. Tell me no,” he said between heavy pants.

Peyton, tell him no. You have some pride.

When she rested her body weight on her elbows, Callum moved back onto the blanket. She swallowed hard as she removed her thick coat, the desire and interest consuming Callum’s eyes.

Make him realise his mistake of walking away.

Peyton stood up, her eyes still on his. And as her fingers reached the hem of her shirt, she said, “Four years ago, you ruined me in this spot. You broke my heart. You made love to me here. Callum…”