“I wanted to come here to say it wasn’t fake.
“That’s all it was supposed to be.”
It wasn’t supposed to go like this.
All of his words punctured holes into me,
and I’m bleeding all over the damn floor.
How does he expect me to walk away now without slipping?
“And you—you were supposed to get mad, disgusted with me, maybe even pity me. Then show me the door.”
I stare at him in disbelief,
then my brows snap together.
“Wait—I did mention the Baby Contract already, right? My genius scam where I get mine and give back jack shit—not feelings, not favors, not a fuckin’ thing but money?”
His knee's going now,
eyes fixed somewhere over my shoulder.
“Jesus, Allison—” He blows out a breath. “Yeah, you keep buildin’ escape routes, exits, doors I never asked for, and I keep watchin' you standin’ in front of ‘em, blockin’ it every damn time.”
He laughs empty, incredulously,
wiping his forehead with his wrist.
“You think some contract scares me more than losin’ a chance at this?”
“You walked, Andrew,” I remind him. “And now you’re sitting here asking for what, exactly?”
His eyes dart back to mine, his jaw tight?—
“What the fuck was I supposed to do?
“What would you have done, huh?”
Yeah, you askin’ the wrong fuckin’ girl.
He shuts his eyes, trying to calm down.
“I thought I was the problem,”
he breathes out.
“I thought I was doin’ right by you.”
His gaze drops to his hand.
It’s trembling, and he shoots me a sideways glance, shaking his head.
“You always do this to me,” he says, smoothing his hand down the front of his pants to iron the panic out of it. “You drive me so fuckin’ insane, I’m barely holdin’ on here.”
He keeps blinking,
trying to calm the tremble in him,
