Page 168 of Love Arranged
Even if he said nothing, I would’ve seen the truth in his eyes, and it hurts to witness such a vulnerable moment from him.
“He had a few good comments, but so did you.”
“Not nearly as many, and not nearly as good.”
“You weren’t listening to what the audience was saying. Not everyone is Team Trevor, despite what you think, and Willow can vouch for that as well.”
He exhales loudly.
“Tomorrow we’ll regroup and figure it out together.” I reach for his hand.
He pulls it back. “Please go.”
“No.”
“I don’t want you here.” He refuses to look at me. “So leave. Now.”
“I’m not going, so quit wasting your time.” I stand tall. “I don’t run away when things get tough.”
That clearly was the wrong thing to say, and I instantly regret it when his entire face goes blank. It’s unsettling, how quickly he can go from broadcasting his emotions to shutting down—a skill I’m sure he picked up during his childhood.
“I didn’t mean it that way.” The words leave me in a rush.
“It’s okay if you did. It’s not like it isn’t true.” His voice is clipped. Straight to the point, like we’re acquaintances rather than lovers.
“Lorenzo,” I groan.
He spins around, giving me his back. “Can’t you take a hint? You’re the last person I want to be around right now.”
I stumble back. My chest feels like he punched a hole straight through it, but I hold steady, ignoring the ache.
He needs you, I say, fighting the urge to run as I roll my shoulders back.
“We’ll get through this together.”
“No, we won’t,” he says quietly.
This frustrating man.“I get that you’re anxious?—”
“Anxious?” He laughs again, this one more bitter than the last. “I’m fucking furious because he’s going to win, which means we both lose everything.” His voice shakes, and if I hadn’t already realized I loved him for a while, him caring about what matters most to me would’ve done the trick.
“I don’t want to think about what-if scenarios when there’s still a chance you can win, but if the worst-case situation happens, then we’ll figure it out. I can restart in another part of town?—”
He shakes his head. “There’s nowe.”
I jerk back. “What?”
He looks at me like I’m a stranger, and I can’t help questioning if that’s what he wants me to be.
“I’m not staying, Lily. If he wins…I can’t.” His voice cracks at the end.
I recoil like he struck me with his hand rather than his words. The ache is so overwhelming, I have to add some physical space between us, as if that would lessen the hurt.
It doesn’t. Not even by a fraction.
“I thought…” That what? If he loved me, he would be able to put his pride aside?
He shakes his head. “I’ll never live in a town where that mu—manis mayor.”
