Page 43 of Falling For Us Again

I shrug, trying to keep my tone casual, but I can’t keep the bitterness out. “At least, there’s no way she could blame that on me. How is she by the way?”

He sets his fork down, pushing his plate away slightly. His jaw tightens, the muscles flexing. “Same old.”

I’m mad at myself for bringing her up. I know better. His mother has always been a sore point between us. I think back to the day I knew I had to let go of Dylan.

The memory returns before I can stop it.

Dylan had invited me to hang out at his place. He was going to teach me a new recipe, and I was excited to spend some time with my boyfriend.

The door was unlocked, so I walked in. I was about to call out for Dylan when I heard her voice raised in anger. I moved closer; they were at the other end of the living room.

I could tell his mother was livid. “You invited her here? I told you to stay away from that girl,” she’d said, her voice sharp, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

“She’s my girlfriend Mom, and I love her.”

"Oh, for God’s sake Dylan. Stay away from her. This is the last time I’m going to tell you.”

Dylan’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Or you’re going to do what, Mom? I’m grown enough to make my own decisions. I’m done with high school and going to college soon. I’m an adult now, you can’t control who I date.”

“I don’t understand why you hate her so much. She’s never done anything to you. You pretend to be a good woman in public, but what’s the townspeople going to say when they hear how you treat the girl your son loves like shit in private.”

In a swift second, a resounding slap cracks through the house. His mother was shaking with anger, the outline of her palm on Dylan’s face. I gasped and took a step back.

They turned to me, both of their faces red with anger. I will never forget the way her eyes had raked over me, a look of disgust on her face, as if I were some stain she couldn’t wait to scrub out of her son’s life.

“That’s it. If you want me to pay for your college, you’re going back to London.” It left no room to counter. “Unless you want to be a deadbeat, with no accomplishments like her father.”

Her words hung in the air like a toxic cloud, poisoning everything around us. I’d stood there, frozen, my heart hammering in my chest. Dylan’s eyes were ablaze with defiance, but I could see the hurt and struggle in him.

I walked towards him and reached out to touch him. He didn’t raise his head. Just stood there, silent, his eyes fixed on the floor.

It was in that silence that I realized his mother was going to win. No matter how much he loved me or how hard he tried to keep us together, she would always be the shadow hanging over us, the invisible force pulling him away from me.

I blink, the memory dissolving as quickly as it had come. Dylan is still sitting across from me, his face unreadable, his fingers drumming lightly against the edge of the table.

“She hasn’t changed,” he says finally, his voice quiet, almost resigned. “She never will.”

There’s a bitterness in his tone that I recognize—a familiar undercurrent of frustration and helplessness that always seems to surface when we talk about her. In the past, I’d reach across the table, take his hand, and tell him that it doesn’t matter. We didn’t need her approval.

But the reality is, it does matter. It always has.

It’s a stark reminder of why we can never be together. Every time we fall into each other’s arms, it’s only prolonging the inevitable.

Don't fall for him again Jenna.

A part of me knows it’s already too late.

Chapter 14

THE OFFER

Dylan

I shove open the café door, the familiar creak of the hinges announcing my arrival. I don’t need to look at the clock to know that I’m late again. Maggie’s not going to be happy with be but being able to be there for Jenna was worth it.

The regulars are already in the cafe. Old Jake squints his eyes as he reads Hartlow Daily, his cup of coffee on the table. I exchange pleasantries with some of the customers before making my way across the room.

Maggie is behind the counter, but she doesn’t look up at me. Instead, she’s focused on the espresso machine, as she grinds the fresh roasted beans.

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