It’s been fourteen days since she left me. Fourteen days since my whole world came crashing down.
I’ve spent the last few days scrolling through pictures of usand replaying old videos. Knowing that this is all I have left of her only makes me feel worse. I’ll never be able to hold her again or kiss those soft lips. I’ll never be able to hear her laugh or hear her tell me she loves me.
We were supposed to build a life together. We were supposed to have a future. But it was all ripped away in the blink of an eye.
No. I refuse to believe this is the end for us. I refuse to give up on us so easily.
Sitting here wallowing in my misery isn’t doing me any good. If she’s not going to answer my calls, then I’ll fly to her and make her talk to me.
Grabbing my phone, I book the first flight to New York. It costs triple the amount it normally would, but I don’t give a shit.
I rummage through my dresser, pulling out clothes and packing them inside my duffle bag. The flight is in a few hours, so I have to haul ass if I want to make it on time.
Andrés stands in my doorway, eyeing the piles of clothes scattered all over my bedroom. “Dude, where are you going? We have a game tonight.”
“I’m going to New York. I have to see Annalise. I miss her so fucking much, it hurts.”
I pull a coat off of my hanger and try to stuff it in my bag, but Andrés grabs my arm. “NBA scouts will be at tonight’s game, remember?”
Shaking him off of me, I shout, “I don’t fucking care! I need to get her back. Nothing else matters if she’s not in my life.”
Andrés shakes his head, disappointment written on his face. “You’re missing out on your chance to get into theNBA,Maddox. You’ve been working so hard for this. Don’t throw it away.”
Zipping up my duffle bag, I sling it over my shoulder and push past him.
Making it to the NBA means fucking nothing to me if I don’t have her by my side.
I knock on Annalise’s apartment door, hoping she’s home. The door creaks open and I’m greeted by Mazikeen, her hazel eyes filled with malice.
“What the fuck are you doing here, asshole?”
“Is Annalise home?” I ask, trying to peek around her.
“Nope,” she replies, crossing her arms. “She’s studying at the library.”
“I’ll wait until she comes home then,” I say, trying to step into the apartment.
She glowers at me, exhaling through her nose. “You really think showing up here will fix what you did? You cheated on her, you pig. I hate the fact that I’ve been right about you all along.”
Heat flushes my cheeks and all the blood rushes to my ears. There’s nothing I hate more than when people make assumptions about me. “You know nothing about me. You never even made the effort to try and get to know me when I was with Annalise. All you ever did was judge me for who I was in the past.”
“The past?” She laughs in disbelief. “You’re obviously still the same person! You wasted your time coming here.”
“Mazi, let me talk to him.” Annalise comes up from behind Mazikeen, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Her nose is red and her eyes are swollen from crying. My heart sinks knowing that it must be because of me. I’m supposed to be the one wiping her tears away, not the one causing them.
Dropping my bag on the floor, I pull her to my chest. Her body stiffens against me, her arms hanging at her sides.
“Oh, Rosie. I missed you so much. I need you in my life. I can’t do this without you.” I bury my face in her hair as tears stream down my face. “You are the love of my life. Mysoulmate. I would never throw that all away for Charlotte. For fuckinganyone. You have to believe me.” I reach out to cup her cheeks and stare deeply into her eyes—into the windows of her soul. The soul that is a part of my own. “I love you so fucking much. I’ll transfer schools to be with you, if that’s what it takes.”
She shoves her hands inside the pocket of her hoodie, chewing on her bottom lip. “But your basketball scholarship?—”
“I don’t care,” I say, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter to me. None of that matters if you’re not in my life.”
She swallows, staring back at me. “Maddox, I?—”
“Don’t do it, Annalise,” Mazikeen cuts in. “Stay strong. He’ll just keep trying to manipulate you.”
