The Summer Before

Chapter Forty-Three

Levi

The words caught in my throat as my heart clenched. I was right back in that house, watching my world fall apart as I watched Tessa embrace Benji. My heart shattered as she kissed him, and he wore a stupid, lovesick grin as he told her how happy he was that they were back together.

I couldn't bear to see anymore, so I left, heading to the only place I could think of to drown my sorrows. I took Landon's Jeep and drove to the bar.

The memory stung almost as much as living it the first time. It hurt enough to make my eyes well up. But I had to know.

If they were done, we could get through this. I just needed to know why she did it.

I cleared my throat, taking a shaky breath before looking into her eyes. "The morning after our night together, I woke up alone. When I went to find you, I saw you standing in the kitchen with Benji."

The look on Tessa's face was indecipherable. She stayed silent as I continued my story.

"I stood there watching, feeling my heart crumble as he told you he loved you."

I swallowed hard, trying to find the strength to continue. "When he said that, he pulled you into his arms, Tessa, and you didn't stop him. You hugged him back. Then you kissed him. I saw it with my own eyes."

My hands were shaking. I had to look away from her. The look in her eyes killed me. It was almost as if she felt betrayed by me.

What the fuck!

Just wanting my tale to be over, I quickly finished telling her what I saw, what I heard Benji say after their lips parted, and how I saw her smiling as he picked her up and twirled her around. Then, I waited for her response.

She was quiet for another minute or two, standing there staring at me in disbelief. I had no idea what I expected her to say, but it certainly wasn't what came out of her mouth.

"You're wrong," she said quietly.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, meeting her gaze as I waited for her to continue her explanation.

Tessa let out a short breath, shaking her head. "What you think you saw was all wrong, Levi."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand to silence me.

"Yes, Benji showed up last summer. But what you think you saw wasn't what you saw at all."

I waited, confused, for Tessa to finish explaining what exactly I misunderstood.

"You did see him pull me into a hug, but I wasn't hugging him back. When he pulled me to him, I was caught off guard. It was a reflex to hold on to something when I thought I might fall over. Unfortunately, the closest thing to hold onto was Benji."

She took a sharp breath in before launching back into her tale. "And yes, he kissed me. But I didn't kiss him back. And when he spun me around and said whatever the hell he said, the smile on my face- that was me trying not to laugh at the absurdity of what was going on."

Tessa let out a short puff of air, leveling me with her stare. "It was like I was caught in a strange dream- like someone was punking me. It all seemed like some elaborate prank, and I was the punch line. Don't believe me? Ask Jason and Charlotte. They were witnesses to the whole thing. We joked about it after I kicked Benji out and told him never to call me again."