Page 142 of On the Breakaway

“Kind of, yeah.” The words come out sharper than I intend.

“You just said you never want to settle down. I’m supposed to trust your opinion?”

“People rush into stuff like this and wake up one day trapped.”

Across the room, Becca’s eyes widen. Haley suddenly becomes very interested in the label on her water bottle.

“That’s not going to happen.” Wesley crosses her arms.

“How do you know?”

“Because I love him.”

“People stop loving each other all the time.”

The words hang heavily between us.

Then Wesley sighs. “Stop making your relationship insecurities my problem.”

The knot in my stomach twists tighter.

But because she’s Wesley and knows every single defense mechanism I own, her expression softens, seeing right through me. Silence settles over the room, and guilt creeps in.

I drag my hand through my hair. “How do you know?”

Wesley’s forehead wrinkles. “Know what?”

“That it’s right.” I look down at my hands.

She studies me before leaning back against the headboard. “When we were talking about going home earlier, I wasn’t picturing my apartment. I pictured Nathan.”

The words hit me square in the chest. Because when we’d all been talking about going home earlier, I hadn’t pictured my apartment either.

I’d pictured Grayson.

Me perched on his kitchen counter while he cooked dinner. His arms wrapped around me while we watched a movie. The way he smiles when I tease him before he dishes it right back at me.

Fucking hell.

My stomach lurches because once I start thinking about him, I don’t stop at tomorrow or next week.

I think about roots. The future he’s always wanted. The future that I've always known isn’t in the cards for me.

“I’m going to bed.” The words come out abruptly.

I’m up and out of the chair and shutting the door behind me before they can even ask why.

My hands shake as I walk fast. Then faster, trying to outrun my own thoughts.

My pulse races as I head for the stairs instead of the elevator. I count the steps, willing myself to calm down. By the time I reach my floor, I’m anything but calm.

My phone vibrates, and Grayson’s name flashes across the screen.

“Hi,” I answer before the first ring finishes.

“Hey.” His tone softens something inside me. “Is it okay that I called?”

“Yeah.”