It wasn’t him I didn’t trust. It was happiness. Happiness never stayed. Every time something felt good, something worse followed, so I learned to keep joy at arm’s length. Even when it showed up with Miles’s soft eyes and earnest smile.
If I don’t choose courage now—if I don’t choose him now—I’ll lose him. Not to another woman. Not to bad timing. To my own fear.
Miles’s driveway is empty, and my pulse spikes. “No, no, no,” I mutter, pulling to the curb anyway, like maybe if I sit here long enough, he’ll magically appear.
He doesn’t.
I call Mallory. Straight to voicemail. I dial Melanie next.
“Hey—hi—sorry, I know this is weird,” I rush out the second she answers. “Do you know where Miles is?”
“Uh… no. Why?”
“Okay. Thanks.” I hang up and sit frozen for half a second as panic claws up my spine.
The RC park.
I peel out of the neighborhood and don’t slow down until gravel crunches beneath my tires. Relief slams into me when I spot his SUV—and his stupid drone bumper sticker. I grip the steering wheel, steadying myself, then jump out and jog toward the launch area.
A couple of guys stand near the tables, controllers in hand.
“Excuse me,” I say, breathless. “Miles Kayson. Have you seen him?”
One of them grins. “Yeah. He took the trail.”
“The trail?”
He nods toward the trees. “Back there. Fair warning, he went pretty far in.”
“Thanks.”
I bolt for the tree line, my maxi dress whipping around my legs—an absolutely terrible choice today. The trail narrows quickly, turning into uneven dirt littered with branches that snap against my arms as I push through. My lungs burn. My heart pounds. Not just from running—but from the fear that I might be too late.
“Miles!” Nothing. So I keep going. “Miles!” Then—there it is. That familiar hum. I round a bend and spot him in a small clearing, controller in hand, eyes fixed on the sky. The drone arcs smoothly above the trees. He looks calm. And utterly alone.
“Miles,” I say again, softer now.
He turns, and everything shifts. Relief flashes across his face before confusion takes its place.
“Nora?” He lowers the controller but doesn’t move. “What are you—are you okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not. “Yes. No. I don’t know.” My breath stutters. “I heard you’re leaving.”
His jaw tightens. “I got a job offer.”
The words land heavy, but I don’t let myself stop there. Staying or leaving doesn’t matter, not yet. I have to say this either way. My fingers curl into the fabric of my dress. “I was wrong,” I start, then falter. I swallow and try again. “About the deal. About… all of it.” My voice wobbles. “About pretending it was just sex. Just fake dating.”
He stays where he is, watching me.
“I kept telling myself it didn’t mean anything,” I say, staring at the ground, nudging a rock with the toe of my sandal. “That if I needed you—even a little—you’d leave. Like everyone else.” My throat tightens. “Like…” I shake my head, breath hitching. “Like my dad.”
Miles takes a step toward me—then stops, his hands flexing at his sides, like he’s fighting the instinct to touch me.
“But the truth is…” I lift my gaze, tears blurring everything but him. “I was already disappearing. Every time I didn’t choose you. Every time I pretended what we had wasn’t real.”
His chest rises once, sharp and controlled, like he’s bracing himself to catch something fragile and heavy at the same time.
“I didn’t lose myself by liking you,” I whisper. “I lost myself by running from it.”
