Page 81 of Falling For Us Again

The early morning light spills into the room, soft and pale, but it does nothing to warm the cold knot in my stomach. I press my forehead against the cool glass, my breath fogging up the pane as I crack the window.

Behind me, I hear the scrape of the chair as Dylan stands. His footsteps are soft, hesitant, like he’s unsure whether to come closer or stay back. And I don’t know what I want either.

There’s a part of me that craves his presence, that needs the comfort of knowing I’m not alone in this, but there’s another part of me—a bigger part—that feels like I need to be anywhere but here.

“Can you take me home?”

He nods. “Sure.”

The drive to my place is tempered with silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. I need some space to process everything. I’ll go to Aunt Mila’s place, but I don't tell Dylan that.

I sit back, watching the morning unfold, and a part of me wonders if I’ll ever come back this time around. Maybe disappearing is exactly what I need right now.

***

The drive out of town feels surreal, like I’m watching it all happen from outside my body. I take the back roads, avoiding the main street, avoiding the places that hold too many memories. The town is small enough that it doesn’t take long to leave it behind, but as the road stretches out before me, I feel the knot in my chest loosen slightly. Just enough to breathe a little easier.

L.A. is hours away, but it feels like another world entirely. My aunt’s place has always been a refuge, a place I could escape to when things got too overwhelming. She doesn’t ask questions and doesn’t push. She just lets me be, and that’s what I need right now. Just to exist without the weight of all these revelations on my shoulders.

By the time I pull into my aunt’s driveway, the exhaustion has fully settled into my bones. I sit in the car for a few minutes, just staring at the house, letting the quiet wash over me.

The front door opens, and I see her standing there, her arms open, a small smile on her face. She doesn’t look surprised to see me. Somehow, she always knows when I’m coming.

I step out of the car, my legs shaky, my heart heavy. She meets me halfway down the path, and without a word, pulls me into ahug. The kind of hug that feels like it could hold all the broken pieces of me together.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispers into my hair.

And for the umpteenth time that week, I let myself cry.

Chapter 29

A SECOND CHANCE?

Dylan

My phone rings beside me on the bed. I blink, dragging my eyes away from staring mindlessly at the ceiling.

I grab my phone. It’s Maggie calling.

“Hey Mags,” I say as I answer the call.

“Hey.”

There's still an awkwardness between us, even though I try to be as casual as I used to be; she holds me at arm’s length now. She's hurt and struggling through her feelings. It has made our synergy off, and even some of our customers have commented on it. I miss how it used to be, and it pains me that we might never go back to being that way.

She lets out a breath before she continues. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving town.”

“What?” I grip my phone tighter.

“Just for a little while. I’ll be back. I just need some time away to figure things out.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I say in an incredulous voice. “I can't believe you're leaving town tomorrow, and you're just telling me this now. We worked together yesterday, and you didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a coward, I couldn’t tell you to your face.”

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