“And?”
“And nothing! Instead, one of my neighbors added a zombie referee. Then another neighbor made skeleton fans tailgating on the lawn. It wasspectacular.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, isthathow your neighborhood’s holiday decoration madness started?”
“Yep,” she said proudly. “Now it’s a full-blown competition. Everyone tries to outdo each other with decorations. I unleashed the beast, and there’s no turning back.”
“You created a monster,” I teased.
Josephine winked. “And I regret nothing.”
We continued cooking, the conversation light and playful, Josephine managing to pull me out of my own head for a bit. But every now and then, I’d glance at my phone, sitting on the counter, and still no messages. Each time, the knot in my stomach tightened.
We had just finished dinner, and I was reading a book in bed when the bedroom door swung open. And who should walk in but Topher.
And he was practically glowing with excitement.
Without missing a beat, he crossed the bedroom, sat down beside me, and grabbed my hands, his eyes sparkling like he could barely contain himself. “You’ll never believe my news.”
21
He had big news?Well,so did I.
Okay, not really. But after spending the entire day pacing the house, glaring at my phone, and spiraling into a full-blown emotional meltdown, I felt entitled tosomething.
“You didn’t show up today.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but inside, I was crumbling.
Topher didn’t even blink. “I’m sorry I missed it, but trust me, you’ll be glad I did.”
I’ll be glad?I could feel my frustration bubbling up, ready to spill over. Glad? Let me guess. He bought a sports team? Or an island? Or maybe invented a time machine so he could skip out on more things in the future?
“You didn’t even text me to tell me you weren’t coming.” My voice was sharper than I meant it to be. He looked taken aback, but I didn’t care. The words kept spilling out, and there was no stopping them. “You’re always working. And I guess I get it. You’ve got this big, important life. But what about the people in your life, Topher? What aboutme? Was today so insignificant to you? Am I so insignificant to you?”
A small voice inside me whispered that I was right to protect myself.This is what happens when you let your guard down. This is what happens when you believe in love.You lose people. I lost my parents, and I wasn’t about to let that happen again, not with him. Not with anyone. Because losing someone you love? It’s a kind of devastation you can’t recover from.
Topher opened his mouth, running his hands through his hair. “I was in the middle of an important meeting. I didn’t want to let you down, but I?—”
I felt a bitter laugh escape. “Youdidlet me down, Topher. But that’s the thing. I should’ve known better.” I shook my head, trying to tamp down the devastation rising inside me. That was why I don’t trust love. Why I don’t believe it can last. Because when you finally let your guard down, that’s when people leave. That’s when you lose them.
I looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. “I guess I’m the fool for thinking it would matter to you.”
Topher’s smile faltered. He looked taken aback, as if I had just deflated whatever news he’d been so excited to share. He opened his mouth to speak, but I wasn’t done.
“Your mom’s been messing with the Wi-Fi just to get you to take a break, and you’re so busy running the world that you didn’t even put two and two together!”
“Wait, what?”
I froze, realizing I’d just let the secret slip. His mom had been sabotaging the internet to force him to take breaks, but I hadn’t meant to throw her under the bus. I crossed my arms. “Yeah. She doesn’t want you working yourself into an early grave.”
Topher blinked, clearly thrown off. “She didwhat?”
“I know, shocking, right?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “But here’s the thing, Topher. It doesn’t even matter. It’s always the same. Work always comes first, no matter what’s going on with the people in your life.”
He looked at me, stunned by my outburst. He took a deep breath, raising a hand as if to stop me from continuing. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “But I think you’ll be happy once you hear what I have to say.”
I froze, the weight of my frustration still brewing beneath the surface, but the sincerity in his voice made me pause.
Topher stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine. “You’re right that I’ve been working. But not for me. I’ve been working foryou.”
