Catastrophe

"Vaughn, I—I love you."

She turned and ran as quickly as she could as soon as those stupid words could tumble off her tongue. She didn't know why, but she just had to say them. What it was that possessed her to actually tell him that, she did not know—all she knew was that she'd said it, and he was going to hate her. She knew that she'd just ruined a friendship that'd taken years to build, but she'd had to do it. She raced across the moonlit bridge and into the black forest, her vision obscured by hot, angry tears. This was a catastrophe. She suddenly felt a large hand grab her arm and jerk her to a clumsy stop. She blinked, her heart working overtime. There, standing in front of her, was her favorite cowboy, panting to catch his breath.

She was fascinated by the small smile on his face.