“Because it’s what’s right,” he says heavily. He presses his lips to my cheek. Wetness covers my skin. From him, or maybe from me. I have no idea. I’m not here right now. I’m back in that café, trying to pinpoint the moment my life was turned upside down without my knowledge. “Goodbye, Titan.”
No. This isn’t happening. I won’t let it. My hand affixes to his bicep, refusing to let go.
But then Ansel blinks up at me. His mouth forms the one word I can’t deny. “Please. Let me go.”
“You’ll never get rid of me.”
“I have to. I’m done.”
I don’t move. I don’t do anything. I’m frozen in time, unable to stop this from happening, but unable to let it.
Ansel’s breath shakes unevenly as he loosens my grip, one finger at a time. Once he’s slid free, he steps away from me quickly.
Then he spins on his heel.
And leaves.
23
CADE
The fact that my butterfly thinks I’m going to just let him walk away from me makes me think he doesn’t know me very well.
There is no way I’m going to allow him to disappear from my life.
It could be forever, and I’d still follow him.
My feet clip along the pavement as I follow behind him at a distance, his head bent, his fingers flying across his phone screen. His movements stutter, and he cranes his neck slightly. I move behind a storefront outcropping and wait a moment, not wanting him to see me.
If he sees me, he’ll be upset.
But not more than me. I can’t believe he just tried to break up with me. The longer I think on it, the more confused I am. It started with two days apart, and then it ended with him wanting infinite space.
I should’ve just agreed to the two days. What the fuck was I thinking? More importantly, what was Ansel thinking?
Was it because I told him I love him? Is that why he fucking broke up with me? Sadness mixes with anger, and I clench my fists tightly.
He couldn’t have really meant it. Something else is going on.
I just need to figure out what it is.
I move back out onto the sidewalk and continue following him. He turns down a small alleyway, and I duck down behind a large dumpster before standing up and catching the flutter of his shirt as he turns another corner.
Where the fuck is he going? I pull my phone out and message Wylder, asking for Ansel’s address. I should have gotten it sooner, but I was so enamored with him, I figured we’d get there eventually. There was no rush.
Well, now there is. A big one. Because he’s trying to get away from me. Two fucking days. Then forever.
How about no.
Not happening.
We were happy until something happened. I just need to figure out what it is and why. I don’t believe it was a whim. I believe there’s something more to it. There has to be.
I pick up speed and watch as Ansel cuts across the street. I follow. He goes down another alley, one that leads into the forest.
But he stops at the abandoned railroad platform. It used to be the hub of the town, but with the invention of the automobile, it was no longer needed, falling into disrepair. It’s been nearly swallowed by weeds, the benches slightly rotted, timetables hanging crooked with numbers that are faded from the sun. Kids like to come here and fuck around.
Well, right now, no one is fucking around except Ansel.
