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Me

Then we try again. That's what people do when something matters. When someone matters.

I watch the typing bubbles appear and disappear several times.

Zane

You matter. More than I know how to say.

And there it is—the crack in his armor. The glimpse of the man who wants to believe in something real, even if he's not quite sure how.

Me

Show me.

His response makes my breath catch.

Zane

Let me take you somewhere tomorrow night. Let me prove I'm ready to try. Really try.

I think about Ivy's words about love being messy and complicated. About how some things are worth fighting for.

Me

Okay. But Zane? I need you to be sure. Because my feelings for you? They're not fantasy anymore. They're grown-up and real and sometimes terrifying in their intensity.

His response feels like a promise.

Zane

I'm sure. About you. About us. About everything.

I fall asleep eventually, still curled up by my window. And as snow blankets the city in white, as Chicago's lights twinkle like stars, I dream of walls crumbling. Of hearts opening. Of love that's messy and complicated and absolutely, perfectly real.

Chapter 14

Zane

I'm staring at the half-empty whiskey glass in my hand, our text conversation still glowing on my phone screen. Her words burn into my consciousness.

"Being scared is okay. Pushing me away because you're scared isn't."

She's right. Of course, she's right. When did I become so cynical? When did I start assuming everyone had an angle, a motive, a reason to get close beyond genuine feelings?

Setting down the glass, I walk to my windows. The city sprawls below, a maze of lights and shadows. Somewhere out there, Tessa's probably still reading my last message, weighing whether to believe I'm really ready to try. To believe I'm ready to let her in completely.

"Fuck," I mutter, pressing my forehead to the cool glass.

My phone buzzes, it’s Asher.

How the fuck does he always seem to have perfect goddamn timing?

"What?" I answer roughly.

"Just got off the phone with Ivy." His tone suggests he knows everything. "Want to tell me why you're questioning her feelings for me?"

I sink onto my couch, exhausted. "I was trying to protect you."

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