Bennett leans forward, folding his arms on the table. “Let me ask you something. If this call came a month ago, would you have jumped on it?”
“Without hesitation.”
“And now?”
I hesitate.
He leans back. “That’s what I thought.”
I run a hand through my hair. “It’s just… this tour is everything I’ve been working for. All the sacrifices, all the hustle, it’s finally paying off.”
Bennett nods, not judging, just listening.
“But I’ve honestly loved being back in Stillwater Bay. Seeing Gabby and Stella. Reconnecting with you. It even seems like my parents and I might finally be getting somewhere. And then there’s Nash. He’s wonderful.” I pause, trying to sum up how close I feel to him, how much I love being with him. How a part of me wants to live in this bubble forever. Just thinking about him makes me smile, though the light dims with my next thought.
“I feel stuck between two lives, Bennett. One I’ve worked my ass off for, and one I’m noteven sure is mine.”
I keep thinking about what Dad said. About having no place in LA, no plan here. Giving up a job with real financial security just because I don’t want to leave Nash puts a lot of strain on a brand new relationship. Would I move out of his house if I chose to stay? Would that feel like a giant step backwards? But we’re weeks old as a couple—assuming that’s what we are—and that’s a little early to actually live together for real.
Like, what are we to each other?
Doctor and patient?
Friends with benefits?
Or are we something bigger? More permanent?
Bennett sips his beer while I wrestle with my thoughts, then rests the bottle against the edge of the table. “Look. This decision doesn’t have to be black and white. You could go on the tour and still have a relationship with my brother.” He wrinkles his nose. “As much as it pains me to say it.”
“I’d be gone a year.”
Understanding dawns in Bennett’s eyes. He sits back, bobbing his head slowly. “That’s a long time.”
“Which is why I’m hesitating.”
“Have you talked to Nash?”
“I just got the call today. He’s still at work. I will though.”
“If I’m reading this right, it sounds like whichever direction you choose, you’re gonna be giving up something that matters to you.”
I swallow hard as the man across from me reduces all the pain, worry, and fear into a single sentence.
“I don’t want to hurt Nash,” I say after a beat.
Bennett gives me a sad smile. “Since when have you made major life decisions based on what someone else wants?”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
“Whatever you do, Lu,” he says, voice gentler now, “do it for you. Not out of fear. Not out of pressure. Not even out of love.”
That last word does something funny to my stomach.
Do I love Nash? Is that where we are?
I blink fast and redirect my thoughts to the present. “When did you get so wise?”
Bennett gives me a satisfied grin. “Just think, you would’ve had access to this wisdom all these years if you hadn’t chosen Stella over me.”
