Chapter 30
JESSICA
I’m feeling all kinds of conflicted when I return to the ballroom after my confrontation with Luke.
I knew I probably would see him today, but I didn’t really expect him to come after me.
Sadly, nothing seems to have changed.
Even though I can tell he’s been feeling as awful as I have, with dark circles under his eyes and even a little more hollow cheeks, he still doesn’t want to fight for me, for us.
I just don’t get it.
Everything felt so right between us, then suddenly he decides we’re done.
Just like that.
A small glimmer of hope appeared when he chased after me in that corridor, hoping he was coming to make things right again, to make us right again.
But then he crushed me all over again, making it clear that even if he feels just as awful as I do, he’s made up his mind.
It feels like the wound has been ripped open again,although it never really closed and probably won’t for a while.
I’m grateful for the small break we have before the first European leg of the F1 season.
I’ve booked my flight home and will travel after my meeting with Anne on Monday.
We will discuss the progress of the internship so far and what lies ahead.
We reach the part of the evening when all the motorsport legends are honoured on stage.
I zone out and try to think of an excuse I can make to get out of this and go home to my bed.
I started this evening full of fire, feeling beautiful and confident.
My run-in with Luke sent me right back into the hollow shell, and I don’t want to continue socializing more than I have to.
Just as I’m about to make my escape, Lily approaches me, looking gorgeous as always. The dress we chose fits her perfectly. The light blue complements her blonde hair and hazel eyes. It accentuates her in all the right places, making her look like an entirely grown woman.
She’s been turning heads all evening, but I know she’s aiming to catch theattention of one specific man.
I haven’t met Sebastian, and I probably won’t now that everything is over between Luke and me.
Still, I want to be a good friend to Lily and hope she finds more success in love than I have.
“So? Has the man of your dreams noticed you yet?” I ask her, and she rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, he noticed me, but it wasn’t enough for him to do anything about it. I think he’s afraid that Luke will flip out.” I ask her what happened, and she tells me that Sebastian was taken aback when he saw her, and just as he was trying to say something to her, Luke walked up and ruined the mood.
“Give him time. When he finally grows some balls, he’s going to be all over you, how can he not?” I tell her, and we spend some time talking before both of us decide to call it a day.
???
Monday morning, I’m sitting in Anne’s office, ready for our meeting about my internship.
We spend the first few minutes talking about how everything has been for me.
“It’s honestly been like a dream come true. Seeing all the action and being included in the process, even more so when several from the team were down bad with food poisoning.” Anne chuckles at that, and I tell her that I’velearned a lot and can’t wait to continue the adventure over the next few months. The internship has been everything I dreamed of and more.
