Page 83 of Falling For Us Again

He’s watching me closely, his expression patient but expectant.

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m in.”

Kam nods, satisfied, and we move on to the finer details. As the meeting wraps up, I find myself standing in the lobby, staring out at the city beyond the glass doors. I have the job. I should feel something—excitement, relief—anything. But all I feel is this gnawing sense of incompletion.

Like something crucial is missing.

Like she’s missing. There's no point in denying it anymore. I’m in love with Jenna. I’ve never stopped loving her.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I pull up the GPS on my phone and type in the address of Jenna’s office. I’ve known where she’s worked for years, but I’ve never gone there before.

It feels strange, intrusive almost, but I have to see her.

I can’t let her slip away again. Maybe, just maybe, we can have a second chance.

***

Her office is a sleek, modern building tucked into the heart of downtown L.A. I park my car a few blocks away, the walk giving me time to gather my thoughts. I’ve let too much go unsaid between us for far too long. I’m not leaving here until I tell her how I feel.

When I reach the building, the receptionist is not happy that I don’t have an appointment, but after a quick explanation, she directs me to the floor of Jenna’s office.

My heart pounds in my chest as I ride the elevator up. What if she doesn’t want to see me?

I step off the elevator and make my way down the hallway. Her office door is slightly ajar, and through the gap, I catch a glimpse of her. She’s sitting at her desk, focused, her expression calm and poised.

The sight of her, so composed, makes my heart ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for. She looks different here—like she belongs to this world, this life that has nothing to do with me or the tangled mess of our past.

For a moment, I hesitate, my hand hovering over the door. Maybe I shouldn’t be here. Maybe I’m making a mistake. Maybe I'm just bringing chaos back into her life.

Right then she looks up, and our eyes meet through the gap in the door.

Her expression shifts, surprise flickering across her face, and she sits upright.

I push the door open and step inside. Jenna watches me carefully, her eyes guarded.

“Hello Jenna.”

“Dylan?” she says, sounding surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I had a meeting in L.A.,” I say, my voice sounding strange in the quiet room. “I thought I’d stop by.”

She nods but doesn’t say anything else. She doesn’t ask how I knew where to find her. The silence stretches between us, heavy and awkward.

I should have planned this better; I should have thought about what I was going to say, but now that I’m here, all the words I’ve rehearsed in my head seem to slip away.

“I… I needed to see you,” I finally manage, my voice low. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She stands up from her desk, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression unreadable. “What is it?”

I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my ears. This is it. I can’t hold it back any longer.

“Jenna,” I say, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I know things are complicated, and I know we’ve been through so much, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve never stopped thinking about you since the moment you came into my life. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I can’t keep pretending like it doesn’t matter. Because it does. You matter. More than anything.”

I take a step closer to her, cupping her face in my hands. “I want you back, Jenna. I want you in my life. I don't want to lose you again. I don't want to have regrets. Can we get a second chance to love each other the right way?”

For a moment, she just stares at me, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly parted in shock. The silence that follows is unbearable, stretching out like an eternity. My heart sinks as I watch her, waiting for some kind of reaction, but she says nothing. She doesn’t move.

The silence feels like a knife twisting in my chest, each second that passes, cutting deeper. She doesn’t feel the same. I can see it now in her eyes—the way she’s struggling to find the words to let me down easy.

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