He leans even closer, his lips hovering just above mine, and the air between us crackles with the tension we’ve both been avoiding for so long. His hands, strong and sure, move to cradle my face, his thumb grazing over my cheekbone. “I’ve been an idiot for not loving you the way you deserve. For not holding onto you with everything I have. You should’ve never walked away from me.”
I close my eyes, the weight of his words crashing over me. I want to say something, to tell him that I’ve felt the same way, that I never wanted to walk away, that I’ve been fighting myself every damn minute since I left him. But my throat is tight, and my heart is too full.
I want to wrap him and his words up and carry them around with me. Keeping them as a reminder when I have a bad day.
I open my mouth to speak, but again, no words come. Instead, we stare at each other, the silence stretching long between us, heavy with all the things we haven’t said. Even though the air is thick, neither of us moves.
My body is trembling now, and I don’t know if it’s from the heat of him so close, or the fear of what I’m about to lose.
And then, like a sharp crack that shatters everything, his phone rings.
The sound slices through the moment, pulling me back into the reality I’ve been trying so hard to escape. I blink, disoriented, my chest still heaving, my skin still tingling from the way his words have touched me. Gabriel pulls back slightly, running a hand through his hair in frustration before reaching for his phone on the table.
I use the moment to breathe, to try and steady myself, but the damage has already been done. The pull between us, the yearning, the rawness of everything we’ve shared—it’s all laid out between us like a map. But I can’t follow it right now. I’m too scared.
Go ahead, answer it,” I say, my voice weak and almost apologetic.
Gabriel glances at the screen and then back at me. His gaze softens, and for a moment, I see the Gabriel I know, the one who’s always so sure of himself, the one who’d never hesitate to reach for me if I just let him.
“You should get that, I’m gonna go to bed,” I force myself to say, standing up, my legs shaky. “Thanks for coming over, Gabriel.”
He swallows, his throat working as he nods slowly. There’s a quiet pain in his eyes, but he hides it quickly. “Anytime Bumper. Just call, and I’m here.”
His words are gentle, but they sting. I turn away before I can see any more of the sadness on his face. I can’t handle it right now. I feel like I’m already breaking, like I’m already too far gone.
Gabriel stands and grabs his things—his jacket, his keys, his weapons, everything—but before he leaves, he stops by the door, looking back at me. The same warm, tired smile stretches across his face, the one that always makes my heart flip. “You know where to find me, Bumper. Just call, and I’ll be there. See you Saturday.”
He steps outside, and I’m left standing in the quiet of my house. The door clicks shut behind, and I sink back onto the couch, my heart heavy and full of all the things I didn’t say.
It’s not that I don’t love him. I do, more than I’ve loved anyone. But right now, I’m terrified of what that love might cost me. And for once, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to face it.
As the sound of his footsteps fades into the night, I realize that maybe, just maybe, I might’ve let the best thing in my life walk out that door once again. And this time, I’m not sure it’ll ever be the same.
Maritozzi and Hope
GABRIEL
What the hell was that?You shouldn't have gone over, Sirolli.
I drag my hand through my hair, sinking into the patrol car. The radio hums, but my mind can't focus. All I keep replaying is the moment Millie and I almost kissed.
I was asecondaway from kissing her.
What was I thinking? I have a plan—things were supposed to happen slowly, the way they should.
But I know if we would've kissed, I would've confessed everything right them. No waiting until Saturday. And that's the problem, I can't rush this. She hardly trusts me as it is. I can't risk everything unraveling, not when I've barely begun to win her back.
I grip the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turn white. The image of her face so close to mine infiltrates my mind. Her lips parting slightly and the ways her eyes flickered with a mixture of surprise and want. Damn it the moment had felt electric, magnetic, like the universe was holding its breath for use. But I pulled away. I had to.
Because if I had crossed that line, I might have lost her forever.
As I drive away from Millie's house, I feel a tightness in mychest. The farther I go, the emptier I feel. A ping from my phone breaks through the quiet. It's Kenna.
Fuck.
Did Millie tell her about what just happened. I like Kenna, but she can be terrifying at times. I check the message. She's is just asking if I left the note for Millie asking her to meet Saturday.
Me
