Page 57 of Flashback for the Forward

She disappeared into the guest room and shut the door.

I buried my face in Cinder’s fur. Heartbreak lay directly ahead, and his steady comfort might be the only thing that got me through it.

“I’m gonna head up and grab a shower,” Bridget announced upon our arrival at my house.

Following behind at a respectful distance, I waited until we reached the kitchen before saying, “Actually, I was hoping we could talk.”

She paused, turning around to face me, a question in her eyes. “About what?”

I gestured to the stools positioned around the island. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you.”

“Okay . . .” The word was drawn out slowly, but she took a seat as requested.

Pressing a palm against my aching chest, I confessed, “I made some calls while I was gone and was able to secure you a spot at a domestic violence shelter in Bakersfield. I know you mentioned San Francisco or Sacramento before, and those are still options, but I thought—”

“You want me to leave?” Bridget’s voice came out small, her lower lip wobbling.

“Of course I don’t, but I don’t want you to feel like I’ve trapped you here either. Levi said—” I shook my head. “You know what, it really doesn’t matter.”

The woman I loved stared at me, a tear carving a path down her cheek. My hand twitched, desperate to wipe it away, to erase the proof that I was the one who’d made her cry.

Suddenly, I was transported to the last time I’d felt like I was doing the “right thing” by pushing her away.

I stared at the contact pulled up on my phone, knowing what I had to do but feeling sick over it.

The rule was simple: You didn’t mess around with your best friend’s little sister. But try as I might, I couldn’t resist her. There was this magnetic pull between us, and we’d fallen in love. So hard.

Guilt gnawed at my insides, the betrayal casting a shadow over our happiness.

Bridget loved her brother, and if the truth ever came out, it wouldn’t just ruin my relationship with Russ; it would ruin hers too. And that was something I couldn’t live with.

So it was time to end this. Even if it was going to hurt like hell.

Pressing Call, I brought the phone to my ear, bracing to blow up my world.

After two rings, her cheery voice came down the line. “Hey! How was your game?”

“Good. We won.”

“That’s great! I hate that I can’t watch, but I applied for a job on campus, and if I get it, I can afford to pay for the subscription service that covers your league.”

I gripped the back of my neck. “You don’t need to do that.”

Her eye roll was audible. “I know, I know. You’re gonna tell me that the Surf could call at any time, and that I shouldn’t waste the money.” Then she gasped. “Wait. Did the Surf call? Are you going pro?”

More than anything, I wished that’s all I’d called to say.

“No. Not yet.”

“Oh.” There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. “That’s okay. I’m sure it’ll be soon.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“You sound strange. Is everything okay?”

No, everything wasn’t okay. I wasn’t sure I would ever be “okay” again after breaking both our hearts.

There was no point in dragging this out, so I ripped off the bandage.