Page 81 of Broken Hearts

“So, I spoke to my dad’s lawyer today.”

Her words are so unexpected that I can’t stop myself from blurting out, “What? When?”

Sage turns so she’s facing me, leaning against the railing of the balcony. “When you were meeting about that custom board,” she says, offering me a small smile. “And I?—”

“How…I mean…”

“Tanner passed on my number to him,” Sage says by way of explanation. “He got in contact, saying he wanted to speak to me. So I went and saw him.”

Her words sting, even though they shouldn’t, because she doesn’t have to include me in this. Mitch was her dad, and this is her shop and her apartment, and I’m just some loser kid he took pity on all those years ago. She doesn’t owe me anything.

“Got it,” I say with a nod, my fist hitting the railing once before I let go. “I’m gonna go,” I say, not looking at her as I turn and make my way toward the doors.

“Nate, wait, I?—”

She rests her hand on my arm, but I shake it off. It feels like this day has taken a complete one-eighty from this morning. As though waking up in bed with her or going to that pool and everything we did there is a million miles away from where we are now.

“It’s fine, Sage, you don’t have to explain it to me,” I say, cutting her off. “I always knew you were leaving. Everyone leaves, so it’s… It’s fine.”

“Nate,” she says, reaching for me again.

I shake my head, stepping away from her, even as it feels like a knife to the gut, especially when I risk a glance at her. “This was never gonna work anyway, right?” I say with a shrug. “You’re leaving, and I’m just some…well, I’m here, doing whatever.”

I make my way inside even as she calls out to me again, “Nate, don’t say that. We do work, and I?—”

I stop, turn around, anger now coursing through my veins as I force myself to look at her. She stops talking, her eyes wide as she stares at me, a confused look on her face as though she doesn’t understand why I’m reacting like this. Like maybe this wasn’t as big a deal for her as it is for me.

My heart is pounding in my chest as I scrub a hand down my face, knowing exactly what this is. This is it. This is the moment this ends, and even though I knew it was coming, I still can’t help but ask myself, why the fuck does this always happen to me? Why does everyone always leave? Why can’t I ever be enough for someone?

And how the hell can she just walk away from this?

From me?

From us?

“What’s going on?” she now asks, her fingers twisted together in front of her, her words barely audible, her confusion morphing into worry. “Why are you being like this, saying all this?—”

“Because you’re gonna leave!” I shout, the anger exploding out of me as I shove both hands through my hair, gripping it tightly. “You’re gonna leave like everyone does, and I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay because I’m fucking in love with you, Sage. But it…it doesn’t matter because that is never gonna be enough. And you’re gonna leave, and…”

I trail off, already knowing I’ve said too much. My heart feels like it’s going to burst through my chest now as I stare at Sage, at the expression on her face, at the tears that now fill her eyes.

I did this.

“Fuck,” I blow out. “I’m gonna go. Let me know when you need me out of the house,” I say before I turn and walk down the stairs and through the yard to my place, slamming the door closed behind me, even though I can still hear Sage calling my name.

Damn him.Not that I didn’t think this was going to happen, but still. He is stubborn and infuriating, but I know he’s so damn broken.

“Nate,” I yell, hearing the door to his house slam behind him, but I’m not giving up that easily. That’s what he wants. It’s easier for him to push me away than to let me in. It’s what has happened his whole life, watching people leave, but not this time.

With heavy feet, I stomp my way over to his house, and if he really wanted me to stay away, he would have locked the door.

But he didn’t, and I fling it open and storm right inside, slamming it behind me exactly as he did. It only takes him a second to register that I’m now standing in his house, and I can see the anger and the hurt flare in his eyes, and behind them, there are the tears he’s holding back.

“Just go, Sage,” he hisses, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. “I can’t do this. I can’t handle this right now. I can’t handle this ever.”

I step closer, and Nate’s body tenses, and I feel my heart shatter into a million pieces, breaking for how much he’s been hurt and how I have to make him see that I’m here to stay, that he can trust me.

“I’m not leaving you, Nate,” I whisper, and he quickly looks away from me, his fists tightening till his knuckles turn white.

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