Him.
But I left a heart on his text to let him know he wasn’t wrong.
We’ve texted back and forth all week—careful, casual messages that danced around the truth. Neither of us was willing to admit out loud that our time had already reached its expiration date. It was as if by ignoring the end, we could somehow soften the blow of its sudden finality.
Even pretend it isn’t over at all.
Everything wrapped up so fast I never even got to wear the dress. The gold one. I’d picked it out specifically because I imagined the way he’d look at me in it. Now it’s just a shimmering ghost of a moment we never got to have.
I told myself I could handle a week. That I could take what we had, enjoy it, and walk away intact. But the moment I stepped into his truck—into his space, into that intoxicating, inconvenient way he held me—I knew he was different. Now, I miss him so much my heart actually aches.
I hate to admit it, but missing him feels less like longing and more like displacement. I’m circling a thought I’ve been dodging like a spoiler I’m not ready to read: Do I really believe I could give all this up? My career, my responsibilities, my obligations. Could I leave it all behind for a life I never even knew I wanted? For a man?
Eli walked out of the woods and into my reality, becoming everything fantasies are made of. He became...everything. Abook boyfriend with a pulse. With weight. With hands that know exactly how to hold on tight, and how to let go when they have to.
“You fell in love with him, didn’t you?”
Timantha’s voice knocks the wind out of me.
“I didn’t realize anyone was still in here,” I say, sidestepping the question. Because the answer is a terrifying, resoundingyes.
“I saw you sitting alone,” she says gently, stepping further into the room. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She sits beside me. I squeeze her hand. “I’m fine, Boss Lady.”
“You’re a liar, Nerd Girl.”
“Middle finger,” I say, forcing a grin.
“Does he know?” she asks, already knowing the answer to her questions.
“He does but,” I pause. “I broke the rules.”
“I don’t understand,” she says.
“I told you. Our agreement was for a week and he made me promise not to fall in love.”
“Which me and Eslin both told you would blow up in your face.”
“Nobody asked you to bring up old shit, Tim!”
“Sorry! Just saying.”
I take a sip of my nearly cold coffee. “But, he told me exactly who he was. I just…lied to myself and said I could handle it.”
My voice cracks before I can stop it.
“Because I did fall for him, Tim,” I blurt. “I fell in love with that man and I want to have his beautiful, Black, ashy babies, okay?”
She doesn’t laugh or tease me withI told you so’s.
She just pulls me into a hug and whispers, “Okay.”
And maybe I did bring something back from Canada with me—emotions? Because suddenly I’m crying. Which is wild because I distinctly remember telling my stupid ass heart that I don’t do that.
The knock comes while Timantha still has me in an embrace.
Lexy peeks into the conference room first, eyes wide in a way that says she’s trying very hard to remain professional while failing spectacularly. “Uh…Max? There’s someone here to see you.”
