Her vision blurred.
Because fuck.
She couldn’t lie.
Not to Mallory. Not when she had spent the last few weeks seeing everything Savannah refused to admit to herself.
Mallory’s breaths were uneven, her eyes pleading now, her voice shaking with the weight of what was slipping through her fingers. "You love him." She stepped closer, softer now, more broken than angry. "And you’re gonna leave him?"
Savannah swallowed hard, wrapping her arms around herself. "It’s not that simple."
Mallory let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Actually, it is."
Savannah squeezed her eyes shut, hating how much this hurt.
Hating how much it was tearing her apart.
"He’s everything I ever wanted," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "And that’s exactly why I have to go."
Mallory blinked. Her expression twisted. "Do you hear yourself?"
Savannah did.
And it sounded awful.
But what if she stayed and it wasn’t enough? What if she stayed and he regretted it? What if she stayed and this thing between them burned out just as quickly as it ignited?
And worse—
What if she stayed, and he was everything she ever wanted, and she lost him anyway?
What if she couldn’t survive that?
Savannah turned back toward her suitcase, pressing her trembling fingers to thelid, trying to breathe through the ache clawing at her ribs, trying to force herself to move.
Mallory was watching her, her shoulders rising and falling as she struggled to keep her voice even, struggled to hold herself together. Then, finally—
She sighed, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes.
She wasn’t mad anymore.
She was hurt.
She was watching her best friend ruin herself in real-time, and she was powerless to stop it.
Mallory inhaled deeply, letting the anger seep out of her before she softened. Before she tried again. Because this wasn’t just Savannah running.
It was Savannah terrified of letting herself have something real for once.
And if anyone knew her well enough to see through the bullshit, it was Mallory.
She sat back down on the bed, the mattress dipping under her weight. This time, there was no frustration, no venom in her voice. Just quiet understanding.
"Vannah—" she started, her voice gentle now. "You're leaving because you're scared. But have you stopped for even a second to think about what happens if you stay?"
Savannah pressed her lips together, arms tightening around herself.
Mallory nudged her knee, coaxing, pushing. "What if it does work out?" she asked, voice full of something desperate and hopeful. "What if he is everything you ever wanted? What if this isn’t just a summer thing, but the start of something you didn’t even realize you were missing?"
