“And what will you do if that happens?”
It’s a question I’ve asked myself a hundred times but never dared to answer aloud.
“I’ll do what a good friend is supposed to do. Smile. Wish him happiness. Because he deserves it.”
She wraps her arms around me, holding me tightly for a few seconds. “You deserve it too, Ava. You deserve someone who brings light into your life. Someone who sees that heart of yours and takes care of it.”
Then she’s gone, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the store.
I stare at the door, waiting. He always comes back in the afternoon for his coffee. He’ll walk through that door like he always does, with that crooked smile and the smell of cedar and ink.
But he’ll never walk in just for me. He’ll never wrap me in his arms, press his lips to mine, and tell me he’s been waiting for me too.
Because I’ll never let him know.
Chapter two
Elijah
Ihadtoleavethe store.
I couldn’t stay there with her in my arms, with her scent wrapping around me like a damn spell, jasmine and vanilla, sweet and warm, so uniquely her. I couldn’t handle the heat of her body pressed against mine, those curves that haunt my thoughts, or that smile that knocks the air out of my lungs every single time.
Every day it gets harder to pretend I'm not completely, stupidly in love with her.
Because I am. I've loved her since the moment I saw her, kicking that stubborn door like it owed her money. And everyday since, she keeps me trapped in this hellish friend zone, and I have no idea how to climb out.
I know she's been hurt. I don’t have the full story, just glimpses that she gave me over the years, little cracks in her armor. Nothing physical, from what I gather, but something happened. Something deep enough to make a woman as incredible as Ava lock away every chance at love and throw away the key.
I walk into the studio and find Ash behind the counter, flipping through the calendar. He looks up, takes one look at me, and sighs like he’s seen this movie before.
“That bad, huh? She didn’t like the cake?”
“She loved it. It’s her favorite.”
“Then why do you look like someone just ran over your dog?”
I lean on the counter, dragging a hand through my hair.
“Because no matter how much space she says she needs, I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending I’m okay with just being her friend. Every day it gets harder to be near her without actuallyhavingher. I’m terrified of the day I finally give in and kiss her… and she pulls away. If that happens, we lose everything. The friendship, the laughs, the easy comfort, gone.”
Ash nods, serious now. “You really think she’d reject you? Man, that girl lights up like Times Square when you’re around. She’s into you. But yeah, she’s scared, maybe even more than you are. Somebody hurt her badly.”
“It’s more than fear. She’s walled herself off completely. No love, no relationships, nothing real beyond friendship. And I don’t know how the hell to tear those walls down.”
Ash leans on the counter, meeting my eyes. “You want advice?”
I nod.
“Then keep doing what you’re doing. Be the guy who's always there. The one who never lets her down. Sooner or later, she'll see you for what you are,everything she needs.”
I don’t say anything. What is there to say?
I just nod again, then turn and walk toward my office, dragging the weight of this longing with me.
Caught somewhere between the comfort of what we have…
And the ache for what I wish we could be.
