Natalie: Yes. He’s still not home, and I’m sitting in his driveway like a stalker.
Meredith: Give it 10-15 more minutes, then leave. He’ll just see you were a stalker on his Ring camera.
Just then, headlights cut through the quiet, their beam bouncing off my side mirror. My heart jumped into my throat as Will’s car rolled into the driveway. He parked in the garage, the engine cutting off, and for a second, I debated throwing mine into reverse and peeling out.
But before I could move, his driver’s side door opened, and he stepped out, his expression shifting from surprise to curiosity, and then to something softer.
Will walked toward my car, his steps slow and cautious. He tapped lightly on the driver’s side window.
I swallowed hard, my heart thundering as I rolled down the window. I tried to look composed, hoping I somehow came off looking cool.
Will leaned down, his expression shifting into something closer to amusement. “So… is this some new kind of greeting I don’t know about? Sitting in my driveway in the dark?”
I let out a nervous laugh, gripping the steering wheel. “I was aiming for casual, but apparently, I overshot straight into awkward.”
His lips twitched into a smirk. “And here I thought you might just be here to TP the place. Should I check for eggs in your trunk?”
“Would you believe me if I said this was an incredibly well-thought-out plan?”
“Not even a little bit.”
He straightened up, tapping the roof of my car lightly before gesturing toward the house. “Well, come on, then. If you’re going to stalk me, you might as well do it from inside where it’s warm.”
Will opened my door and gestured me inside. I hesitated for a moment, still gripping my keys like a lifeline, before stepping out of the car. I followed him to his garage.
Inside the warm glow of the lights spilled out, a stark contrast to the chilly night air.
The door clicked shut behind us, and I immediately noticed how quiet it was in the mudroom. The stillness of the house felt amplified. Will shrugged off his jacket and hung it in one of the hooks glancing at me.
“Want some water? Or something stronger?” he asked, his tone light, but there was a question in his eyes I couldn’t quite place.
“Water’s fine,” I said softly, following him into the kitchen.
As he poured two glasses, I took a breath and leaned against the counter, watching him. “I wasn’t sure you’d even want to talk to me,” I admitted.
He turned, leaning against the opposite counter, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why wouldn’t I?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe because I spent Thanksgiving at another man’s house?”
His jaw tightened for a split second, and I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.
“I was pissed,” he admitted. “But I figured… I don’t know. Maybe you needed space. I didn’t want to push. You needed tosort through everything on your own even if I didn’t like where you were doing it.”
I blinked, surprised by his honesty. “You weren’t pushing. I just—” I sighed, shaking my head. “I should have never agreed to go to Lucas’. It was stupid, and I knew it even before I showed up.”
There was still a flicker of something guarded in his eyes. “Why’d you go, then?”
“I guess I thought it would be easier. Safer. I didn’t have to explain anything or risk feeling…whatever it is I feel when I’m with you,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “All I could think about was how much I didn’t want to be there. How much I wanted to be with you.”
He looked at me for a long moment, like he was trying to decide whether to believe me. Finally, he exhaled and set his glass down on the counter.
“I wanted to call you,” he said, his voice low. “After dinner with my parents. I didn’t text back because I figured I’d just call when I got home.”
I stared at him, the weight of his words settling over me. “You were going to call?”
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But then I started overthinking it. Figured you were busy with him, and maybe I was just reading everything wrong.”
I stepped closer, my heart twisting. “You weren’t reading it wrong, Will. I was.I’vebeen reading everything wrong, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I went, and I’m sorry I hurt you.”
