Page 41 of Lovesick

“So…I figured, since you were following Dr. Hofstetter’s case since the beginning and have been a big part of it by always keeping everything on track, I was wondering if you wanted to come to that dinner with me.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure how to reply. “As your…assistant?”

“As my date.” His words came out without even a hint of hesitation. “I know you wanted space, and I’ve been giving it to you. I will continue to give you space if that’s what you need, but…” He took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “Truth is, I can’t keep what I feel for you hidden inside. And you can start hating me again, or ignore me completely, but I just had to ask. I can take a no. I can accept it. I simply have to know.”

I opened my mouth, but not to speak. I was at loss for words, and while his words sounded genuine and hopeful, I couldn’t answer him right away.

“That’s uh…” He laughed, rubbing his neck. “Not the reaction I was expecting. I thought it would go either one of two ways. Well, I expected you to make a face and say no.”

“I…” My feelings were all over the place. I could’ve told him no right away like he had expected it, but my heart stopped me. My mind was shouting at me to say no over and over again, but the louder my heartbeat got, the quieter my mind got.

Or was it the other way around?

God…why was this so hard?

I pressed my lips into a tight line, and before the walls around me closed in on me, I said…

Option 1

“No.”

(go to chapter 17)

Option 2

“Yes.”

(go to chapter 19)

17

EMILIA

I pressed my lips into a tight line, and before the walls around me closed in on me, I said, “No.”

Everything went still. My heartbeat. His breathing. Everything.

He looked disappointed, and I felt…bad. But did I really have a reason to feel bad? I clearly wasn’t over it. The hurt he caused. The pain I still carried around with me, hidden from everybody—and sometimes even myself.

Dean’s expression didn’t crumble, but I could see the quiet shift behind his eyes. He nodded once, his jaw tightening for the briefest second before he relaxed again.

“Okay,” he said simply.

No argument. No attempt to convince me otherwise. That somehow made it worse.

I looked at the floor for a moment, searching for words that would ease the heaviness between us. But there weren’t any. Or maybe there were too many.

“I’m not saying this to hurt you,” I said, finally lifting my gaze back to his. “But I’m still figuring things out. About you. About myself. I just…I need more time.”

“I understand,” he said. And to his credit, he didn’t force a smile or pretend it didn’t sting. “I just needed to ask.”

I nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”

We stood there for a second too long. The silence didn’t feel like the warm kind anymore.

“I should get back,” I murmured, reaching for the door.

Dean stepped aside to let me pass, his hand brushing the edge of the doorframe as if he’d thought about stopping me but didn’t.

---