Page 124 of Overdrive

My lips parted, ready to argue—but I couldn’t. He was right.

“I’m not going to push you,” he whispered, resting his forehead against my temple before pressing the softest kiss there. “But don’t expect me to keep my hands off you if we’re sharing a hotel again.”

I huffed a reluctant laugh, the tiniest smirk tugging at my lips. I didn't know what to say because my emotions were clawing at mythroat and squeezing my chest like a vice. The weight my life weighed heavily on me, and I dreaded going back to a reality that was nothing but aching loneliness.

“You said friends,” he murmured, “but the way you kissed me just now? Doesn’t feel very friendly, love.”

I rolled my eyes, but the heat in my cheeks betrayed me. Did I confide in him like a friend? Sure. But all the things I felt for him were far more romantic thanfriends.

He smiled. “So let’s call it what it is. Friends… with proximity issues.”

“That’s not a thing,” I said, laughing quietly, except it sounded more like a huff, because breathing suddenly felt hard.

“You tried to friend-zone me, so yeah, it is now.”

I bit my lip. I had, and it was harsh, but I was hoping that would put distance between us that would make walking away easier. I was so fucking gone for this man. “So… what? We act normal in public?”

“And act not-so-normal in private.”

I looked away, face flushed, heart thundering in my chest. I wasn’t supposed to be here—not just physically, but emotionally. Not with him, not when my seat could be snatched out from under me at any second, and certainly not when I’d spent the last twenty-four hours peeling back layers I hadn’t meant to expose.

But the way he was looking at me—with quiet determination, with hope, like he saw something in me worth fighting for—I felt myself slipping. The resolve I was trying to stitch back together was unraveling fast.

I was close to caving. Too close.

“I’ll think about it,” I whispered, the words trembling with more than I meant them to.

He leaned in and kissed the corner of my mouth, soft and unhurried. It felt as if he wasn’t just kissing me goodbye, but was reminding me what it felt like to be wanted.

“Can I put a timeline on that?” he asked, his voice playful but edged with something quieter. “I fear you’ll use it as an out indefinitely.”

I narrowed my eyes, but it was all for show. He could see right through me.

“I make no promises on when I’ll have an answer for you,” I said, but my voice had lost its strength. It cracked at the edges, like it didn’t believe me either.

He took my hands in his and squeezed, grounding me in the moment. “Okay. Then I’ll see you in Monaco in a few days.”

I started to pull back, but then paused, caught in the way his eyes searched mine. He looked wrecked and glowing all at once. Like I was both the high and the heartbreak.

And fuck, he was everything I’d ever wanted.

But I needed a second. Just a second to breathe, to put the pieces of my life back in order before I let myself fall off the edge completely. I whispered the only words I could manage.

“Peut-être à Monaco. Au revoir, Callum.”

Maybe in Monaco.

I hoped he saw it as a promise, a warning, a sliver of hope wrapped in goodbye.

I drew in a steadying breath, forcing the whirlwind of emotions into a box I could carry—at least until I was alone. Whatever happened next, I couldn’t let myself fall apart here. Not in front of him.

My heart thundered as I walked out. Leaving the room. Leaving Callum. Trying not to look back. But, God, he made it hard to walk away when every part of me screamed to stay.

Still, I kept going, willing myself to hold it together just a little longer, because if I didn’t, I knew exactly what would happen.

I’d go into emotional overdrive, and this time, I wasn’t sure if I could survive it.

TO BE CONTINUED…