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“Are you coming with?” she asks. Even if she hadn’t asked me, I would have left with them anyway. Either that or I would be calling an Uber.
“Lead the way,” I say softly, trying not to look up to search for him. Ever since he walked into the room, my heart has been searching for him. I forced my eyes to focus on what was in front of me and nothing more. Even when we sat down to eat, all I could do was tell myself that I was fine. That it was fine. That him being here didn’t matter to me, but I was lying to myself, just like I have been for the past month. I didn’t eat a thing. Instead, I pushed shit around my plate and counted down the time until I could get the fuck out of here and away from him.
I tuck my hair behind my ear, looking down as I start to walk out of the room when I hear whispering. My eyes move up to see what everyone is whispering about when I see him coming for me. I stop breathing, literally holding my breath as he gets closer and closer, his eyes fixated on me.
I want to run away from him, but my feet feel like they’re stuck to the floor, and my body feels like it’s turned to marble. The blood in my body halts, making everything in me freeze. He stops in front of me, our fingers grazing each other, before he turns his hand around to grab mine. Anger shoots through me. Why can’t he just let me fucking be? He leans down, and I silently gasp as his lips go to my ear. “I know I never told you this.” His breath and softness of his voice sends shivers down my spine. My heart feels like it’s going to jump out of my chest. “But you deserve to have this, to know.” I don’t move a muscle as he tells me, “I love you.” The three words I’ve said to him every single night in my dreams when he comes to hug me. The three words I’ve yearned to hear from him. The three words that shatter my heart. Then he kisses me right behind my ear where he used to always kiss me.
If I thought him breaking up with me broke my heart, I was wrong. This right here, knowing he loves me, knowing I love him, it’s earth-shattering.
He squeezes my hand once before he lets it go and turns to walk away, taking everything I love with him. “Well, fuck me, I guess.” The words come out of my mouth so fast and so loud, he stops walking and turns to face me. Everyone around us is watching the drama unfold.
I didn’t want this. I never wanted to do this here in front of everyone. Especially after they pretended the two of us in one room together wasn’t awkward AF.
My body radiates anger that he’s done this to me. “You made me fall in love with you, even when I didn’t want to.” I don’t even try to stop the tears as I shout the words. “You sent me chocolate and opened my doors.” I feel I’m just rambling, yet I can’t stop the words from coming out. “You knew I didn’t want to date you. I ignored you and ignored you and what did you do?” He knows I’m not asking him the question. “I’ll tell you what you did. You torpedoed your way into my life. You made me want you. You made me need you. You made me miss you. You made me go against everything I thought I didn’t want.” My breathing comes in pants as I try to calm my racing heart. “You fed me cupcakes and made me feel important.” My eyes look into his, and I see a reflection of how broken we both are. “You don’t just get to leave without having a conversation with me. I had everything I ever wanted, and then without you there, it felt like I had nothing.”
“You are the most important thing to me!” he roars, his chest rising and falling, filling out his white T-shirt. “I tried everything in my power to be that person for you. I wish things could be different.”
The words make me bring my hand up to my mouth as I silently cry, my body shaking when I smell him. I look up at his chest and then up to his face. His hands come up and hold my face, his thumbs rubbing my tears away as they fall. “I hate it when you cry.” His voice is soft. “I’m so sorry, gorgeous.” My nickname on his lips has to be one of the last words I ever want to hear in my life.
“Why couldn’t you just listen to me?” My body basks in his touch. My body goes from ice cold to warm from his heat.
“When?” His eyes search mine, trying to find the answers.
“Before you walked away from me. Before you walked away from us. Before you just threw us away.” I take a deep breath. “Did you know that morning I walked into my office and handed in my notice? I quit my job to be with you.” I hear gasps from beside me, and I know it’s my parents. I also see the shock on his face. “I had nothing but you, and it didn’t matter because we were going to be with each other, and I was going to get a job. I kept telling myself it was going to be okay, but then you were gone.” My hand comes to my stomach, trying not to get sick. “I gave up everything for you, and in the end, I didn’t even have you.”
“What?” he yells.
“You stupid, stupid man,” I mumble, shaking my head.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His hands now fall from my face, and I want to snatch them back.
“Why didn’t I tell you?” I snap, repeating his question. “I tried. I tried so many times, but you wouldn’t listen to me. You just assumed the worst because you’re an asshole who is so consumed with your own wants and needs that you didn’t think about how I was feeling.” I put my hands on my hips, and I know at the end of this, it’s going to be over. “You broke up with me without even a second thought. You asked me to move to you as if it was that easy.” He just looks at me. “I had a career. I just couldn’t up and jump on a dime for you.” The anger makes my voice rise. “You think I didn’t want to come and visit you?” I don’t even take a breath. “You think I didn’t try my best to come to you? It wasn’t that easy, Stone.”
“You didn’t even—” he says, but just like when he broke up with me and didn’t give me the time of day, I’m not giving him the time of day either.
“I didn’t what? Run at your beck and call? I slept with that fucking teddy bear every goddamn night,” I yell at him, “because he was a part of you! I slept in your fucking shirt because it felt like I was near you. I didn’t have to say the words because my actions did.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, taking a step closer to me. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Yeah, well, sorry doesn’t get me my job back,” I tell him. “Sorry doesn’t fix things between us.”
“What would fix it?” His voice is soft and broken at the same time.
“I don’t even know,” I say, taking a deep breath before walking past him and away from him. I have to zigzag my way through people who are all around us, avoiding looking at anyone as I get the fuck out of here.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
stone
Iwatch her walk away from me, zigzagging through everyone I know and love to escape me. “I am so fucked!” I shout, throwing my hands up, but she doesn’t stop moving. “Don’t you walk away from me, Ryleigh.” She continues walking, but that doesn’t surprise me since it’s her. “You are the love of my fucking life!” I roar, and she finally stops and slowly turns around. People move out of the way so I can get to her, but I stand on my side of the room, and she stands on her side. “You are the love of my life,” I repeat, this time quieter, “and I’m going to marry you.”
She folds her arms over her chest and glares at me. “Don’t you fucking dare propose to me right now.”
“You’ll know when I’m proposing to you,” I tell her, walking past everyone to go to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I’m sorry I let you go. I’m just plain sorry that my stupid ass let you go.” I stand in front of her. “I’m going to make you mine.” I grab her face. “I’m going to make you mine today and every single fucking day after this.” I bring her face to mine, smashing my lips on hers.
“About fucking time,” Uncle Matthew says from behind me.
I let go of her lips, my thumbs rubbing her wet cheeks. Her eyes open slowly as she looks at me. “Will you come with me so we can talk?” I kiss her softly again. “In private.”
