Coastal Runaway (Coast to Coast #1)

Twenty-Four

twenty-four

Luke

“So how are we going to handle this?” Nolan sat across from me, placing a steaming mug of coffee onto the kitchen island.

Startled, I looked up, “handle what?”

“What do you mean, handle what?” He sipped his coffee, “how are we going to get revenge on Sinclair?”

I let out the breath that I had been holding in. For a second I thought that the secret Keegan and I had been hiding from the world had gotten out. Not that it would have been the worst thing. I was trying to give her the space to process her feelings, but it's starting to settle in just how comfortable she was keeping our feelings a secret, not that she had directly admitted her feelings. The girl kept it close to the chest.

“I think we should just let your dad’s lawyers handle it.” I shrugged.

“Boring,” He smiled and looked around, “I swear ever since you started seeing this mystery girl you never want to have fun with me. ”

“Aw, baby, do you miss me?” I clutched my chest.

He barked a laugh, “I do. But, seriously, I’m happy for you dude. When do I get to meet her?”

It was such an innocent question that he had no idea was so complicated. I despised lying to Nolan. I didn’t feel bad for dating Keegan, I knew he would get over the idea. But I hated that he had actually given me the shirt off of his back and I was lying to his face while his sister blew me under the table.

Literally.

I knew Keegan and I had to have a serious conversation soon, but I was worried that once I opened up about my true feelings that she would disappear again.

“Soon, hopefully,” I said.

“I look forward to it. I can’t wait to meet the girl who tamed Luke Cavan.”

I laughed, “what do you mean? Kiara and I only broke up six months ago. You’re acting like I’ve been a leper.”

“I don’t know, man, I know you dated Kiara for a few years, but I haven’t seen you this happy since high school.”

He’s right. Kiara and I never really fit, it was a relationship of convenience that I fell into because my heart was shattered. She was there to pick up the pieces, and I would always be grateful that she did. But, it felt nothing like the way it felt with Keegan.

“This one makes me really happy. It’s like no matter what mood I’m in, the moment she walks into the room the rest of the world fades away and it’s just her. She has this way of drawing people in and making them feel special.” Pink crept onto my cheeks as I opened up to my best friend. While he didn’t know that I was referring to his sister, it felt good to finally open up to him.

“Well, isn’t this so cute,” Maeve chimed in as she walked in from the pool deck, “Bro-ing out having a heart to heart. I love that for you guys.”

Nolan stood and faced her, “now, now, baby sister, I have a bone to pick with you.”

She innocently fluttered her eyelashes, “I simply don’t know what you’re talking about.” It's the line she always used when she knew she was caught.

Nolan scoffed, “when are you going to stop sneaking guys into this house?” He crossed his arms.

“As soon as I am confident that if I bring a guy through the front door you won’t act like a caveman and punch him in the nose.” She squared her hips and rested her hands there.

“Never gonna happen,” Nolan patted her head and walked toward the front door, “anyway, I’m out, I’m meeting up with Lindsay. Don’t wait up.”

“I thought you were done with Lindsay?” I said.

“What can I say, man? They always come crawling back.” He winked and walked out the door.

Shaking my head I turned toward the kitchen only to find Maeve pinning with a glare, “when are you going to stop lying to him?”

“ I simply don’t know what you’re talking about. ” I fluttered my eyelashes the way she did when delivering her signature line.

“Humor me,” She said, clearly not taking my shit.

“I want to tell him, okay? Keegan needs time.”

“Keegan is always going to need time. She acts all cool, but she isn’t over what happened and she won’t let her walls down until she hears it from you.”

“Hears what from me?” I threw my arms up, raising my voice. I knew that this wasn't Maeve’s problem but I could feel the built up anger bubbling out of me, “she left me !” I shouted.

“Yeah, because she heard you, dumbass!” She shouted back.

“Heard me? Heard me say what?” I paused and dropped my hands.

“You really don’t know?” She looked dumbfounded, “You don't know why she left?”

“NO!” I burst, slapping the island counter.

“The morning after the party, she was hiding in the pantry when you were talking to Nolan. She heard you tell him how pathetic she was for begging to drop to her knees for you.”

“Wait, what? I never said that.”

“You did.”

“Okay, I mean I did?—”

“You’re an asshole.” She cut me off.

“No, let me explain, I said it as a joke. The next sentence out of my mouth was that I was falling in love with her.”

“Wait, what?”

“Just let me explain, please?”

three years ago

I shut Keegan’s door behind me and leaned against it.

Holy shit, last night actually happened.

I couldn’t hold back my smile or the spring in my step as I looped my way down the main hallway, down the staircase and toward the kitchen.

Keegan Kelly shocked me last night. Who would’ve thought that sweet little Tigger likes to be degraded and slut-shamed in bed?

I did not see that coming.

But, my. God. Was I into it. It’s like she awoke a part of me that I didn’t know needed to burst through. That girl was made for me and I intended to claim her, even if that meant that I had to face her brothers.

I walked into the kitchen and started grinding up coffee beans, prepping the coffee machine. A few minutes later Nolan confidently strutted into the kitchen and plopped himself on the kitchen counter with an evil grin.

“Okay bro, please tell me, where the fuck did you sleep last night?” Nolan was way too happy about my sexual escapades and clearly was brutally unaware that his sister was wrapped around me all night.

“Mike said he saw you head into the house with some blonde who was smoking hot,” he said wiggling his eyebrows, “who was it? Cammy? Not again dude. Please? I’ll have to chase her out of the house again.”

Cammy was a girl that I steadily hooked up with this past year until I found out that she was also sleeping with half of the football team. When I broke things off with her, she didn’t take it very well. And by that I mean she snuck into Nolan’s room at a party and locked herself in the closet demanding that I talk to her. Nolan had to, literally, call the cops for her to leave.

My chest swelled at the pride of having Keegan on my arm last night. People finally noticed what I’d been seeing for years. She had this energy about her that you were drawn in by. Like planets orbiting the sun. When I was around her, I just felt lighter.

“Nah man, it wasn’t Cammy. I would never go there again” I shook my head. Panic seeped in because Nolan and I always told each other who we hooked up with at parties so we never hooked up with the same girls. Unsure what to do, I said, “it’s someone you don’t know. She didn’t go to our school.”

This was good. He wouldn’t ask too many questions and it would give me and Keegan time to think about how we wanted to present our relationship to her brothers. Hopefully, Nolan would still want to talk to me after he found out that I went behind his back and betrayed him, but Keegan was worth the risk.

“ You’re literally such a slut, dude,” Nolan laughed but his words landed hard. I wanted to be different for Keegan; I didn’t want to be the player anymore. “How do you have these girls literally begging for your dick? Please teach me your ways, Obi-Wan.” Nolan bowed to me, a laugh bubbled out of my chest.

“I can’t help it if these girls are so desperate that they’ll let me put them on their knees at my will.” I shrugged dramatically, “You should’ve seen her. She was practically begging for it. It was honestly a little pathetic. ”

Nolan paused and then erupted with laughter, “no but seriously, who was it and are you going to see her again?”

“I’m not ready to tell you who it is yet. But I can tell you it’s serious. I think I’m in love with her,” I said. Hopefully soon I would be able to shout from the rooftops that Keegan Kelly was mine .

"Okay, okay, but I want to meet her soon." He pointed at me, "Do you know where Keegan is? I'm shocked she hasn't come in screaming for coffee like the morning troll she is."

I did know where she was considering I left her naked in her room, but I obviously wasn't going to say that, “nah, I haven't seen her."

Nolan dropped the subject and we continued talking about the party last night while I waited for the coffee to brew. Nolan started making us all breakfast, eggs and bacon, and I was putting creamer into two steaming mugs when Mr. Kelly came speed walking into the kitchen looking pale.

“What's up, Dad?”

“Did you just get a cryptic text from your sister about leaving?” He asked while pacing the room taking quick breaths.

“I have a lot of sisters, Dad, you’re gonna have to be more specific. Ryleigh is probably just off on another trip. She’ll be back.” Nolan seemed to shrug him off as if he was stressed for no reason at all.

“No, Nolan. Keegan’s gone.” He paled.

“What the fuck do you mean, Keegan’s gone?” Nolan spat.

“I mean she just sent me a text stating that she committed to CCU and decided to leave abruptly to drive across the country alone. What kind of father am I? Who lets their kid just take off without a word?—“

“Dad! Chill out. Sit down. This has to be a mistake.” Nolan yelled. Mr. Kelly nodded his head and sat on the barstool at the island counter.

My chest was on fire.

Keegan’s gone?

This didn’t make any sense. Not after last night. I thought she’d run before we had sex; I never fathomed she’d run after.

I took off up the stairs back towards her bedroom. When I swung open the door it almost looked like nothing was different but on further inspection, her suitcase was gone, along with her toiletries, purse, and keys.

Without hesitating, I ran towards her balcony that looked out over the front yard. Down the driveway, I could see the baby blue jeep that drove me to high school everyday, speeding away from the house. I watched her go, my feet cemented to the floor.

Gone.

Keegan was gone .

She filled my ears with pretty lies about how much I meant to her and then she left.

Just like my mom did .

My chest hurt so bad that I fell to the ground clutching it. A roaring sob left my body as I laid in the middle of Keegan’s childhood bedroom. This was why I didn’t open up my heart. It left room for someone to slip their ice cold hands around it just to crack it in half.

I stayed there for a while; long enough for Nolan to come looking for me. He sidled up next to me as I sat on the floor leaning against her bed with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. He took a deep breath and patted me on the shoulder, a silent gesture to confirm what I already knew to be true in my heart…

She’s never coming back.