He blinks, the shock flickering across his blue eyes before he can hide it. “So you disappeared because I—”
“Because I don't know what to do with that,” I cut in. “Because I didn’t want to say something back just to fill the silence. You dropped a bomb in the middle of something that was supposed to be easy, and you expected me to just… what? Pretend it didn’t change anything? I told you from the beginning what this was between us.”
He runs a hand through his blonde hair, the movement frustrated and shaky all at once. “But I meant it, Jainey. I still do”
“I know,” I say softer then I mean to. “And that’s the problem.”
Neither of us moves, both of us stuck in the middle of the truth we didn’t ask for but can’t ignore.
“I just didn’t expect to see you with someone else,” he finally says, his voice dipping.
I shrug, though my chest feels tightens in that annoying, traitor way. “Yeah, well, I didn’t plan on seeing you the other night either. It just happened.”
He swallows, the pause stretching. “Can I please come in? I’m not here to argue. I just… want to talk.”
I hesitate, my eyes flicking to the clock, then back to his blue eyes, which don’t stop searching my face. “Fine. But if this turns into a lecture, I’m tuning you out.”
That gets the smallest smile—barely there, but enough to cut through the tension. “Noted.”
We head toward my room, he sits on the edge of my bed, his posture careful not to take up too much space. His gaze drifts slowly over everything—as if he’s cataloging it all, memorizing details he has no right to care about.
He’s only been here once, and I can tell he’s taking it in like it matters.
Closing the door behind us, I drop onto the bed beside him—close enough that our thighs touch. The air between us goes heavy, thick with everything we’ve avoided saying.
“I’m sorry about the other night… in the bathroom,” he starts, his voice low enough to skim down my spine. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to pull out of you and walk away like that—but that’s how much I want you.”
I blink, trying to process that logic. He wants me so much… he didn’t let me finish? What kind of reverse-psychology Jedi mind trick is that? My brain wants to argue, but I let him keep going, because stopping him feels like stepping into something I’m not ready to debate.
“I know when we first met, you said you only wanted sex,” he says, his blue eyes locked on mine, searching, almost pleading. “But I’m sorry, Jainey—I fell for you. And now you’re all I can think about.”
I take a slow breath, steadying myself because I wasnotexpecting that. “I’m sorry, Danny,” I start softly, my voice catching halfway through his name. “And I know what I’m about to say is going to hurt, but… I hope you can see the good in it too. My throat tightens. “You’re amazing—honestly everything I used to wish for in a guy. But that’s exactly what scares me.”
I stare down at my hands, blinking fast as my voice trembles despite me trying to keep it together. “I’ve got too much family baggage. Too much trauma all together. I already had my fairytale ripped apart, and I’m not trying to hand you all the broken pieces. You think I’m perfect for you, but I promise… I’m not. You are someone’s soulmate’s, and she’s out there somewhere, waiting for you to sweep her off her feet.”
The tears hit before I can stop them. Hot, sudden, and humiliating. I didn’t think I’d actually cry—I never cry in front of men other than my family. Ever. But saying that I’m too fucked up for someone who genuinely cares and wants me—cuts deeper than I ever thought it would.
I’ve never told a man he deserves better. Usually, I just take what I want, enjoy it, and leave when it no longer fits. But with Daniel… I can’t. I just can’t do that to him.
I feel like a rusted tin can, sharp and dented, and he’s the shiny new Coke bottle—clean, whole, and untouched. We don’t match.
He reaches for my hand slowly, afraid I’ll pull away. His thumb brushes over my skin in a soft, delicate sweep, memorizing the feel of me before he loses the right too.
“If this is goodbye,” he says quietly, “can we end it on a good note? I’d love to have you just one last time.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I barely get the words out before his lips crash into mine—hungry and desperate, a goodbye masked as a kiss. His tongue explores mine with a fierceness that feels like both the first time and the last.
And this time… it is.
Chapter Twenty Two
Red Flags and White Roses
T
hree months slip by in a haze. Everything between Levy and me feels so natural, it almost freaks me out—but somehow it just… happens. After ending things with Daniel for good, Levy and I have been inseparable.
