Page 18 of Mayfly

No!

That kiss.

The way he looked at me.

I felt his desperation because he needed it just as much as I did.

As fast as I can, I retrace the path that led us to the bench. Back to the gravel track, onto the main walkway, then…there!Unmistakable, even at a distance, is Jude, leaving the park. Leaving me behind.

My heart thunders inside my chest.

I’m hot. So fucking hot.

My eyes zone in and everything else apart from him becomes a blur.

Breathless from anxiety, I follow his retreat.

His name is heavy on my tongue, but I swallow the impulse to shout it out.

My steps are silent and my sight never wavers from his broad back. How his shoulders rock. And how his coat moves around his legs.

I’m on the street. He’s on the other side, never looking back once, determined to walk out of my life like I walked out of his.

The SIM card is still in my fingers and I throw it onto the cobblestones. There’s no time for the gutter. No time for being thorough.

Dashing over an intersection without waiting for the light, I catch him entering The Mandarin Oriental.

How the fuck can he afford to stay here?

The lobby is ornate, but there's no time to linger on the décor.

Scanning, I spot Jude inside the lift as the silver doors close around him.

Sprinting over, I frantically push for the other lift to open, and when it does, I stick my arm inside and wait for the numbers above where Jude disappeared to show me which floor he's on.

Thirteen. Unlucky for some, but not for me.

The metallic box swallows me whole.

My stomach rises into my chest before settling.

The doors open and it feels like a tornado blowing against me.

I look to the right… Nothing.

To the left? His navy coat.

Something primal inside me snaps and I run at full speed towards the door.

1310.

Without thought, I surge forward and throw my shoulder against the door just as the metal of the latch is about to engage.

Jude whirls around, his eyes wide, but calm.

Eerily calm. Like he’s been in this exact situation before.

He steps towards me; offense and defense all rolled into one. Then he swings. I block it, but his other fist hits me in the ribs.

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