Page 72 of Until Forever Falls

“What’s not fair? That you just decided this for the both of us? Tell me! Where is this coming from?”

But he doesn’t. I can feel his pain, see the war waging behind his eyes, but he won’t let me in. He’s shutting me out, brick by brick, and I can’t break through.

“Dylan,” he repeats my name, and this time it feels like a death sentence. “We were fooling ourselves.”

My blood runs hot, frustration building with every passing second. “You’re lying. Something happened. What happened?”

“Nothing. We should’ve ended things sooner. I just didn’t know how. I thought I could make it work. But I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” I’m shaking now, not sure if it’s from the rain or the way the rest of my world is dissolving in front of me. “You’re not making sense, B. I need you to explain!”

“There’s nothing more to say. I’m ending things.”

I blink, but the world doesn’t right itself. He wasn’t supposed to leave me.

A brutal weight slams into my chest, an avalanche of something dark. My pulse is a thunderstorm, and I try to fight against it, against him, against what he’s doing.

“So that’s it? You’re just done? Just like that?”

His eyes meet mine, and it’s already over. I see it. I feel it. He’s not fighting for this. For me. I lost.

And it sets something violent and hopeless ablaze inside me.

“Fuck you, Brooks.” It spills from my lips, something venomous like love turned to ruin.

His face slackens, like I’ve done what he was too much of a coward to do—destroyed us completely.

“I guess Chloe was right after all.” My voice is detached now, broken without redemption. “Iwaswasting my time.”

He doesn’t argue. Doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even have the fucking decency to look ashamed. Just stands there like this was the plan, and I was always meant to be left picking up the pieces alone.

My legs carry me forward, like I can slip out of my own skin.

Tears burn hot down my face, but I don’t wipe them away. I let them sear this moment into me so I never forget what it feels like to be this fucking stupid.

To trust. To want.

To believe, even for a second, thatIwas worth fighting for.

26

Dylan

Now

The gym is packed, but I’ve never felt lonelier. I try not to look around the gym much, refusing to search for him—Brooks. But my body doesn’t listen. My eyes betray me, drawn to him like a bad habit I can’t break. And there he is, standing near the edge of the room, with Colton Hayes.

I tell myself it’s not a big deal. They’re just two guys. That’s it. Nothing more. But my body doesn’t quite believe it. I knew tonight would be hard, that the past would find a way to sneak in, but I won’t let it take me under. So I take a breath, square my shoulders, and settle into the act. Calm. Unbothered. Like I’m ready to let it all go.

“Babe?” Aaron’s voice startles me, but there’s no impatience in his tone, just curiosity.

I plaster on a smile, but it feels flimsy, like a sticker peeling at the edges. His gaze narrows, catching the mask I hoped he wouldn’t see. But he doesn’t ask. He never does. Aaron is the kind of person who waits, who stays, who lets me come to him when I’m ready—even when I never quite am.

The crowd’s chatter fades into the background as Chloe’s voice momentarily blares through the speakers, the same high-pitched tone I remember all too well, and I feel a twinge of irritation. The projector flickers on the wall, casting a bright light that makes the whole gym feel even more surreal. The slideshow starts, looping through photos that seem both like a lifetime ago and like they happened only yesterday.

Then I see it.

A photo of Brooks, Colt, Beckett, Miles, Graham, and me. Each movement feels suspended, every detail stretching into painful clarity.

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