Page 85 of A Chance for Us
“Where are we going?” I ask. He said he wanted to surprise me for our last night, and I was supposed to wear something formal.
“You’ll see once we get there.”
“You know I hate surprises.”
Ollie laughs. “I figured since you love plans so much.”
I’ve always hated them, since I was a kid. Maybe it’s because every time I’ve been taken off guard, a tragedy happened. My mother dying, a colleague being shot, losing someone we’d been trailing and having it result in someone being hurt. It’s never been a good thing.
Now I’m forced to sit and watch the scenery without making myself crazy with wonder.
“You’re fidgeting,” Oliver points out.
“I don’t like being completely unaware of what I’m doing.”
“Are you worried I might be taking you somewhere to kill you?”
I raise a brow. “Is that a possibility?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
He grins. “On if you stop fidgeting and just trust me or not.”
I lean my head back, looking at him. “Trust isn’t something I usually give easily.”
“I’m not all that great at it either.”
He is better at it than he thinks.
“Could’ve fooled me. We had to trust everyone who knew the secret the last two weeks.”
Oliver glances at me. “Those were my siblings. I would trust them with my life.”
Which is maybe why I was able to as well. I shift again, looking out the window and spinning the wedding ring on my finger. My nerves are trifold. I have no idea where we’re going, I don’t know what I’m feeling, and I don’t know how to plan for heartache.
This is the end. The last night before we walk away from what has been the best weeks of my life. I don’t want that.
I want more.
I want it all.
I wanthim.
He takes my hand. “We’re almost there. I promise, I want tonight to be fun and also special.”
“Why?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Why what?”
“What does it matter if it’s special? Tonight is the end.”
We’re stopped at a red light so he turns to look at me. “The end doesn’t mean it has to be bad. We’re friends, Maren, we always will be. I like to think that, after all we’ve gone through, we can at least have a happy ending.”
Tears start to prick at the back of my eyes, but I blink them away. This isn’t a happy ending. This is horrible. This is not what I want, but it’s what he wants.
He wants freedom, and I can’t even be angry about it. It’s not like we’ve been together for months, and he changed his mind. I will not make this man suffer any more than he already has.
