Page 139 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

Rain stepped closer, desperate to close the distance.

“You shouldn’t listen to Julian. He says things to get under your skin.”

Rain braced an arm against the wall above Jay’s head, leaning in, trying to anchor them both in the tiny pocket of space between their bodies.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” he said softly, voice trembling despite his effort to sound steady. “And maybe it’s selfish of me to feel this way, but I love you. I want you.”

Jay inhaled sharply, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach for Rain, to pull him close, to bury his face in his neck and pretend none of this was happening.

But he didn’t.

“You say that so easily,” Jay whispered, voice thin and fraying at the edges. “But can you really promise me anything?”

Rain opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

The silence between them stretched, heavy and suffocating. Jay’s eyes softened — not with comfort, but with resignation. Acceptance. A quiet surrender that made Rain’s stomach twist.

“No,” Jay said, barely audible. “You can’t. Whatever this is… ends with me getting hurt.”

Rain’s pulse hammered so hard it felt like it might crack his ribs.

“I thought you said you trusted me.”

“I trust you with my life,” Jay said, voice trembling. “But I can’t trust you with my heart. And that means I’m always going to question everything.”

He swallowed, eyes darting away for a moment; toward the bar, toward the booth where a couple sat, watching them with a tight jaw and folded arms.

“And Wren’s right,” Jay added quietly. “We set ourselves up for heartbreak.”

Rain’s breath caught.

There it was.

The subtle shift.

The echo of someone else’s fear lodged inside Jay’s voice.

He didn’t call it out.

He couldn’t.

Not now.

Rain looked away, his hand falling limply to his side, fingers curling uselessly.

“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked, voice barely a whisper.

It was pathetic.

It was all he could manage.

The world shrank around him, the air thickening like wet cement. His heart raced so fast it hurt, a frantic, panicked rhythm he couldn’t slow. His palms grew slick. His throat tightened.

He dared a glance at Jay.

Tears brimmed in Jay’s eyes; shimmering, fragile and completely devastating.