The cider was still bitter on my tongue as the night dragged on, though I couldn't tell if it was from the drink itself or the aftermath of Miles' kiss. Every sound around me—the crackle of the bonfire, the soft hum of conversations—seemed muffled, distant, like I was submerged in a world that wasn't mine anymore.
Vivian's laughter cut through the haze, pulling me back to the present. She sat across the fire, her face lit with a rare brightness as she spoke to my mother. They were planning something—I caught words like renovations, new start, and family dinners. It was the kind of idyllic vision I used to dream about, but now it felt like someone else's life.
"Riley, isn't that exciting?" Vivian's voice was warm as she turned to me. Her expression was expectant, brimming with hope, and it hit me like a punch to the chest.
I forced a nod. "Yeah, it sounds... great."
But it didn't. It sounded like a cruel joke, dangling a version of happiness I knew I couldn't have. Not with the storm brewing inside me, not with Miles throwing my life into chaos.
Vivian beamed, oblivious. "We'll make this work, Riley. I know we will. For all of us."
Her words were earnest, but all I could hear was the weight of my failure. My chest tightened as guilt clawed at me. I couldn't meet her eyes anymore, so I stood abruptly, muttering something about needing air before walking away from the fire.
The cool night wrapped around me as I escaped into the shadows. I didn't make it far before I felt him again—Miles. He was always there, always waiting, like he knew exactly when I'd be at my weakest.
"Running again?" His voice cut through the darkness, calm yet charged.
I stopped, but I didn't turn to face him. "Leave me alone, Miles."
"That's not going to happen." His footsteps closed the distance between us. "We need to talk."
"No, we don't." My voice trembled, betraying the strength I tried to muster. "There's nothing to talk about."
"There's everything to talk about." He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with something I didn't want to name. "You can't keep pretending this isn't happening."
I crossed my arms, a poor shield against the firestorm in his gaze. "What is this, Miles? You stringing me along? Messing with my head?"
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he didn't answer. Then he stepped closer, his voice low and deliberate. "You think I'm playing games?"
"Aren't you?" My words lashed out before I could stop them. "You show up, you disappear, you—"
"I left because of you." His voice was sharp, cutting through my accusation.
The air between us went still. I blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
His gaze didn't waver. "After the wedding. After everything... I couldn't stay. Not when every second near you felt like drowning."
The words hit like a blow, knocking the air from my lungs. I stumbled back, but he caught my wrist, grounding me in place.
"You were in every thought, every damn moment," he continued, his voice raw now, the anger and pain bleeding through. "I tried to run, Riley. I thought distance would fix it, that I'd forget. But it didn't."
I shook my head, my breath coming in shallow gasps. "You don't mean that."
"I do." His grip on my wrist tightened, but not enough to hurt—just enough to keep me from slipping away. "You haunt me, Riley. Every. Single. Day."
The intensity in his voice, in his eyes, was too much. I felt exposed, stripped bare in a way that terrified me.
"Let go of me," I whispered, though my voice lacked conviction.
His free hand brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch igniting sparks beneath my skin. "I can't."
"Miles..."
He leaned in, so close that his breath warmed my cheek. His next words came in a whisper, but they thundered in my chest.
"You've haunted me every day since that kiss."
My heart stopped, then stuttered back to life in a frantic rhythm. I didn't know whether to scream or cry, to push him away or pull him closer. His words had shattered something inside me, and the pieces didn't seem to fit anymore.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, his lips were on mine again. This time, I didn't resist. I couldn't.
But just as quickly as it began, it ended. A sound from the distance—a voice calling my name—pierced through the haze. Miles pulled back, his gaze flicking past me toward the bonfire.
"They're looking for you," he said, his voice unreadable now.
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak, and turned toward the firelight. My steps felt heavy, like each one was dragging me closer to something I couldn't escape.
As I approached the group, Vivian's smile greeted me, warm and full of hope. It was like a knife to my chest.
Miles' words echoed in my mind as I forced a smile. You haunt me every day.
The storm wasn't just brewing anymore—it was here, and there was no turning back.