Page 252 of My Rules

“Can I come in?”

His eyes hold mine for an extended beat before he moves to the side, granting me access to walk past him into his apartment. My eyes roam around his apartment. It’s dated but nice, nothing like his extravagant house at home.

“I’ll ask you again, Rebecca, what are you doing here?”

“You came to my hotel last night.”

A frown flashes across his face.

“But you didn’t come to my room. Why?”

“I thought better of it.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to see you.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Why did you come if you didn’t want to see me?”

His fists are clenched at his sides. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It matters to me, Blake. Why did you come to my hotel?”

“To get closure.”

“On us?”

“What else would I be getting closure on, Rebecca?”

We stare at each other, and it’s the weirdest thing. He’s so familiar, but at the same time, he feels like a stranger.

So much water has passed under the bridge between us that I’m not sure the raft is even still afloat.

“Blake.” The nerves in my stomach are pumping so hard that I can hardly form a sentence. “I came to New York because I love you. And I want to beg for a second chance.”

“Bec, don’t.”

My eyes search his. “Is there any chance for us at all?”

“No.”

“Not even one percent? Because one percent would be great.”

“I care for you, Rebecca; I’ll always care for you.”

“But you don’t love me anymore?” I whisper.

“Life isn’t as black and white as you would wish sometimes.”

“Blake, I was broken when we were together, and I didn’t know it at the time. I was insecure and blaming myself for so many things that had gone wrong in my life. It wasn’t until you left me that I realized just how dysfunctional I was.”

His eyes hold mine.

“I love you, and I know that you probably don’t even need me anymore or think about me anymore or ... I just want you to know that ... you are my grand love,” I whisper. “You were the person that I was supposed to spend my life with. And I know that I’ve ruined it, but I just think you should know that.”

He exhales softly. “Bec,” he whispers.

“You want closure?”

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