Page 88 of Before I Loved You

I open my mouth but pause, suddenly realizing that in order to delete the video, he’ll need to watch it.

This was the worst idea I’ve ever had.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “You know what, forget I said anything.” I start to reach for the phone in Glen’s hand, but he stops me, gently pulling the phone from my reach as he places his free hand on my shoulder.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what I should be looking for on his devices.” He looks me dead in the eye, and I realize he’s right.

My shoulders slump. “A video,” is all I say, looking down at the ground, my cheeks heating up. Maybe this was a stupid idea, but I’m running out of options.

He removes his hand from my shoulder, nodding, knowing exactly what kind of video I’m referring to.

Shame fills me.

His fingers grip the strap of his sports bag. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to hack into this.”

Dread fills me. “But I thought if I got you his device and you just connected it to the same Wi-Fi…”

He shakes his head. “Greyson has one of the best security systems on his laptop. I can only imagine how difficult it will be to get into his phone. I’ve never seen someone so paranoid about people getting into his things.” He shoves the phone into his pocket. “This isn’t the same as hacking into the teacher’s ancient computer with no security features. That I can get into no problem. But this is Greyson. He doesn’t play around.”

My eyes mist over as I nod, defeat weighing down on me. “I understand. It was worth a shot. Thanks anyway.” I turn, but Glen gently grabs my elbow to stop me.

“Let me see what I can do tonight, okay? I can try to get into his phone and see if it’s also connected to his laptop. It might not work, but I can try.”

Optimism suddenly outweighs the defeat taking over my heart.

I give a half smile. “Thank you.”

He has us exchange numbers before he walks off and passes through the entrance, leaving me hopeful for the first time in months.

The video may not be erased yet, but with a bit of luck, it shouldn’t be long until Glen can hopefully take care of it. And then…then I can finally tell Paul everything.

A smile forms on my face as I pull out my phone.

Sarah

Is an offer for a second date still on the table?

twenty

PAUL

Sarah

Is an offer for a second date still on the table?

Paul

Is that a yes?

Sarah

Tomorrow night?

Paul

I’ll pick you up at eight, baby girl.

I stare at my phone in my hand, smiling like a goddamn idiot because the moment I saw her text, I knew another piece of that brick wall between us had crumbled, knocking my heart right onto fucking cloud nine.

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