Page 44 of Back to Willow

The desk was clean, and the bed was naked. The shelves were empty, and if I dared open the drawers, I knew they’d be the same way, too. The only thing marking the bedroom as hers was the soft pastel green on the walls.

She wasn’t there, extinguishing the little spark of hope that clung to me. That was when Jake’s words started to resonate through my head.

She left.

She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

My vision blurred as I picked my phone up from my pocket, a desperate last attempt to get a hold of her. But when the call didn’t even go through, telling me the number was no longer registered, my legs buckled.

Willow left, and she didn’t even dare to tell me what the fuck was wrong. She gave me no opportunity to choose if I wanted it or not—whatever the hell it was. It was right then and there that I finally realised just how strong my feelings for her were.

If they were only a teenage crush, there was no way it’d feel like a final stab right through my heart. The ultimate betrayal.

My world fell to the ground that day, at the realisation that the two people I loved the most had abandoned me, without even looking back.

FIFTEEN

Willow

Iftheearthopenedto swallow me whole, I’d willingly go. All because Liam answered the phone. Every prayer I made, all the requests I begged for werenotanswered. He was not working or sleeping. He wasn’t even busy enough to let it go to voicemail.

Fate had to throw another punch and have him answer the call. My fear of having to face him is now a constant. Like a second shadow, following me everywhere.

Thankfully—or not—he had free time. And that is why I am currently getting ready to go meet him. I’m a walking nervous wreck, playing the conversation we had over and over again.

“You’ve kept my number all of this time?” he asked when I called.

“I would have if I had been allowed to keep my older phone. I had to beg Johanna for your number,” I answered quietly.

“What do you want, then?” he questioned, his voice as sharp and hostile as the day in the diner.

After that, he stayed silent, waiting. Liam had always been the one to give me space to organise my thoughts and encouraged me to speak my mind.

But this was not that. He was forcing me to be the one to put in the effort, to take that step forward and give him what I owed him. A proper apology and an explanation.

Which one would it be, not even I knew then.

“Look, Liam…” I started hesitantly. “I am sorry about the way I bolted. It was hard to see you, but we should talk. If you want, of course. I—” I cut myself off mid-sentence.

God, this was so hard.

I was so afraid he would just hang up on me or tell me to piss off.

My body was trembling with anticipation, and I kept gnawing on my bottom lip, trying to find the courage to continue.

“I want to explain myself and…” Another deep breath. “Apologise to you. If there is someone in my life who’s owed an apology, it’s you.” My voice was shaky by the time I finished.

“Fine,” he said coolly.

He said yes, I repeated to myself. My breathing was shaky but relief washed over me momentarily. Then it dawned on me that I would have to face him again, and anxiety took over.

I was a mess.

There were a few moments of silence between us until he took the lead.

“We can go for coffee tomorrow; I have the day off. I’ll text you the address and the hour.”

“Sure. Work won’t start until seven p.m. anyway,” I informed him, hoping he wouldn’t want to meet me during work hours.

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