REMI
Maddie’s gone.
And now that I’m alone, I don’t have to pretend anymore.
I’m sad. And if I’m honest, I’m also a bit on edge.
Sebastian is due to arrive any moment now, and the idea of welcoming a stranger into my home, into our home, makes my stomach twist. I’ve been trying not to overthink it, but the closer it gets, the harder it is to ignore the tension creeping in.
Maddie didn’t want me to take her to the airport.
She said goodbye here, in the flat. I think she sensed I was close to losing my composure and didn’t want to put me through having to keep it together in front of strangers.
Before leaving, she gave me a thousand tiny instructions, reminders to be nice, to be welcoming, to please not be a grump.
And then she looked at me with that soft, pleading expression I can never seem to resist.
She kissed me, slowly, gently, trying to reassure me that nothing would change between us, no matter how far apart we’d be. She didn’t say it directly, but I could tell she'll miss me too. She trusts me. And she wants me to trust her. I told her I’d try. That I’d do my best to be civil. Maybe even friendly.
But the truth is, I’m not sure I can.
There’s a tight knot in my stomach, the kind that shows up every time I feel like things are slipping out of my hands.
And this whole situation... it feels like a recipe for disaster.
I believe in Maddie’s good faith. I know how she feels about me.
Even if I haven’t managed to say “I love you” out loud, what we have is real. Solid.
She knows what I’ve been through, what I lost as a kid, and I think she understands why it’s hard for me to let go completely. I’m working on it. Just maybe not fast enough.
But I also remember exactly how broken she was after Sebastian left. I was there. I saw her fall apart. I saw how long it took for her to evenlookat another guy, let alone give me a chance. She loved him. That much is obvious. And he threw her away like she meant nothing.
Even now, the memory of that still makes my blood boil.
But before I let the anger take over, I force myself to stop. No, I can’t go down that road. I can’t let jealousy twist things out of shape. Maddie trusts me. She’s counting on me to act like an adult.
She even suggested I might actually like Sebastian once we got to know each other. That we might get along.
Honestly, if I weren’t so tempted to punch a wall, I’d laugh.
Maddie, with her soft heart, has a way of seeing the world far more kindly than it deserves.
But if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s this:
Sebastian and I are never going to be friends.
SEBASTIAN
After a short ride on the packed London Tube, I’m nearly there.
I make my way through the Theatre District, dragging my suitcase behind me, taking in the hum of the city as it starts to come alive for the evening.
I stop to grab a bottle of water, then head towards my final destination: Shaftesbury Avenue, right in the heart of the West End.
I’ve got to hand it to Maddie; she’s always had great taste and big dreams. If she’s managed to find a place around here, she must be doing really well for herself. Then again, I always thought she would.
Even when we were kids, there was something about her, like she was meant for something bold and brilliant.
