A Little Too Not Over You by Lauren Pacaccio Read Free Book Online Page A

news sink in for them while we have some alone time?"
     
    I heard Hunter snort. Braden turned to him, "May I help you?"
     
    I was shocked. He never did anything like that.
     
    Hunter seemed shocked, too. But, he chuckled to himself, "I was just going to say that you should ask Pay to bring you to the old park just around the block."
     
    And he walked out.
     
    My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe he would say something like that. And with the stupid “Pay” thing to add. I closed my mouth right when Braden turned to face me.
     
    "An old park, Pay?" He put air quotes around "Pay." "He has a nickname for you?"
     
    I nodded and rubbed my eyes. "Yes. He's called me that ever since we were 13. I told him to stop, but he won't listen."
     
    "And what's the business with the old park?" Braden was curious. Not jealous. Just curious.
     
    I looked at my parents and back at Braden, "Could we talk about this once we get out of the house?"
     
    My parents got the message. "Um, I'm sure we can find something to do, right Sarah?" My dad said, looking at me. He was giving me the you-owe-me-one look. I winked at him.
     
    Braden and I got bundled up enough so that we wouldn't freeze when we walked to the park. He had said that he wanted to go to the park Hunter was teasing me about, and I didn't have a good enough reason to say no.
     
    Once we got there, Braden went straight for the swings. "Take a seat, my lady," he said, smiling. I stood by the swing, and kissed him before I sat down.
     
    He started pushing me and I got higher and higher. "Alright, so, Paise," he said, "what's so important about this park?"
     
    "Do you really want to know?" I asked, not wanting to tell him. It's not like I wanted to hide anything from him. I just didn't want to start a conflict. I hated conflict. And I loved Braden. I didn't want anything to ruin that.
     
    "Of course. I want to know everything about you. I honestly already thought I knew everything there was to know about you, but I'm starting to think I don't, 'Pay.'"
     
    I flinched. "I'm sorry, but please don't call me that. I only let Hunter do it when we were dating and that was only because, at the time, I thought he was so adorable that he could call me anything. But, since then, I've asked him many times to not call me that, but he won't stop because he apparently likes to torture me."
     
    He grabbed the swing to stop it. I stood up and faced him.
     
    "What's up with this park, Paise?" He put his hands on my hips and looked down at me.
     
    I put my forehead to his chest and took a deep breath. I looked up at him again.
     
    "This is the park where we met. I was on that swing, right there," and I pointed to the swing I had just been in. "We were both 13. I didn't have many friends. Neither did Hunter. He talked to me and we became friends, and when we were 14, we started dating. He asked me to be his girlfriend by that slide, right there," and I pointed to the slide that was a few feet away.
     
    Braden was nodding, taking everything in. "More?" I asked, not really wanting to continue.
     
    "If there is anymore?" he asked, and I nodded. "Then, go on, please."
     
    "I was sitting on that bench over there," I pointed to a nearby bench, "is where he kissed me for the first time."
     
    Braden went to speak, but word vomit spilled out. "And, over there, in the third parking space,"
     
    I pointed and started to tear up, "is where he kissed me yesterday."
     
    Chapter 14: 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
     
    "So, he kissed you?" He said, looking at me coldly. I could see him getting a very hurt expression on his face. He swallowed and rubbed his eyes while saying, "He kissed you, right? You didn't kiss him back."
     
    I looked at him guiltily. "Paise, no," he said, backing up from me. He was shaking his head. "You kissed him?!" He yelled. I jumped back. He started pacing.
     
    "Paisley," he said, yelling, "how could you do this?! I loved you. I was going to spend the rest of my life with you,