Just him.
“It already has,” he says, voice a little breathy, still looking at me. “You’re scared to follow it. I don’t blame you.”
The words drop into me like a stone, sinking straight to the centerof my chest, then rippling outward until I can’t tell where the emotion ends and the impact begins.
I look away first.
Because the truth?
He might be right.
But fear is a fault line, quiet until it isn’t. And when it shifts, it cracks through everything you thought was stable. He’s the one who made it quake. The one who pulled back. The one who left me staring at my phone, heart wide open and humiliated.
I stare up at the stars again, hoping they’ll offer answers.
They don’t.
Nolan’s voice breaks the quiet. “Your parents sound wise.”
I swallow. “Theywerewise.”
His face shifts instantly. “Rorie?—”
“It’s okay,” I cut in, not unkindly. “You didn’t know.”
Another beat of silence passes between us—heavier now. Sadder.
“They would’ve liked you,” I add, before I can stop myself. “My mom especially. She had a thing for people who looked arrogant until they opened their mouths and turned out to be gentle and charming.”
That earns me a faint smile. “Sounds like a woman of taste.”
“She also threw a sandal at a pesticide solicitor once, so, you know. Balanced.”
Nolan chuckles under his breath. “I don’t know what I’m more intimidated by, your standards or your fiery family legacy.”
I glance at him, my heart doing that awful twist again.
Because I’m still mad.
Still bruised.
But not enough to pretend this isn’t something. Not enough to lie to myself anymore.
We fall into that silence again. Not awkward. Not tense. Just filled with everything we’ve said, and everything we haven’t.
Then, at the same time:
“Rorie—”
“Nolan—”
Our names land between us, overlapping in perfect sync. We both blink, then almost laugh.
I shake my head, barely. “You first.”
He hesitates for a breath. He’s building courage. Then he exhales, shakily, and looks me dead in the eye.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “God, Rorie, I’msosorry. For the email. For the way I pulled back. For everything.”
