Free Shaping Destiny by Hmonroe Page A

you love me?”
    Love? Was he trying to
make me squirm?
    “Later,” I told Max and
walked toward the stairs of the dorm.
    “Leah, wait up,” Jared
said.
    “Hey Jared. How’s it
going?” I kept my pace steady.
    “Good. I wanted . . .” He
placed a hand on my shoulder. “Wait, slow down just minute.
Where’re you going so fast?”
    “Just to my room.
Sorry.” Getting there unnoticed was out of
the question . I
turned to face Jared. Why was Max still
beside his truck staring? Or listening?
    “I miss you. You have been
buried in school work and gone doing who knows what. I got mad
because you aren’t being totally honest with me. But what I really
want is to be there for you when you’re ready to talk. We haven’t
been the same since we came here and that’s not like us. I’m not
sure how this place changed things, but please don’t shut me
out.”
    “I don’t mean to shut you
out . . . Jared, can we talk about this later?” Maybe after I had clothes on.
    “Later? You don’t answer
your phone, you’re never home, and when I finally catch you and try
to be open, you shut me out again.” He looked over to where Max
stood. “Then when I do find you, I see you coming out of a truck
with another man. Not to mention you have a blanket around
you.”
    “Jared, please. It’s cold
outside.” I gestured to the blanket.
    “Who is he?” The dreaded
question now lingered. “Leah, please. I don’t want to be lied to
anymore. Not about this. I love you.”
    He deserved to know, but I
needed to tell him in my own time. To want to keep both men until
it suited me was selfish, though. Love can be blind and can be felt
at so many levels. This realization never hit me until Max came
into my life.
    “I love you too, Jared.
You’re my best friend. I’m sorry we haven’t talked like we used to.
And you’re right there are a lot of things going on that I haven’t
talk to you about. But I can’t. There is one thing I need to tell
you, though. I just don’t want to hurt you.” I looked over toward
Max, and Jared followed my gaze. “I’ve grown feelings for someone
else. I’m not sure where it’s going, but I can’t be the same person
you want me to be right now.”
    For a minute, Jared just
stared over my shoulder. It tortured me to see his face so blank.
“You like someone else?”
    “Here, let me go inside
for a minute to grab something, and we’ll go out to dinner. We’ll
talk. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” Jared remained a stunned
statue, so I turned for my room in hopes he wouldn’t
move.
    By the time I got a shirt
over my head, Jared’s and Max’s voices came flooding to my
ears. No way .
Dressing quickly, I darted back down to the parking lot. I ran over
to Jared arguing. People gawked as they passed.
    “Who are you really? What
do you want from Leah?” Jared yelled.
    “Calm down, man. I’m just
helping her out.”
    “With what? Who are
you?”
    “You keep asking me that,
and again I’m just a guy that happened to meet Leah.” Max put his
hands up.
    I jumped in between them
with my back toward Max. “Jared, let’s go out and get some dinner.”
I put my hand on his arm, but he never released Max’s stare.
“Please, let’s go.”
    “This isn’t over. I’m
going to find out what you’re doing here and who you are. Leah has
been with me for years, and she won’t just leave me for someone
like you!” Jared finally gave into the pressure on his arm and
followed me to my car. I had never seen him like that.
    ***
    We sat down in the Mexican
restaurant we had been to before. That place seemed to never sleep.
More people were singing karaoke, and the same waitress took our
orders. It remained quiet between us until after we’d finished
eating.
    “Do you even know anything
about him, Leah? He could be dangerous.”
    “I’m getting to know him,
but I feel like I know him pretty well already.” Dangerous would be
the last word to describe Max. He had saved my life so many