Page 186 of Red Zone
The words make my chest ache.
I want to believe him—God, I do—but all I can do is shake my head, staring at my hands twisted in my lap.
“She already has,” I whisper.
His head snaps up, his eyes narrowing.
“Megan made it crystal clear,” I say, my throat tightening. “We can’t be together. Not as long as you’re still playing here. IfI want to keep my internship, my reputation, my future—I can’t be with you.”
The weight of it sits between us like a storm cloud, heavy and impossible to ignore.
His jaw clenches as he leans back, his hands gripping the edge of the couch, his knuckles white.
But he doesn’t argue.
Because he knows I’m right.
And that hurts worse than anything else.
47
CARTER
Ilean forward, staring at the floor.
The silence between us stretches long and sharp before I finally force myself to look at her.
“What about you?” I ask, my voice low.
Her eyes flick up to meet mine, startled.
I swallow hard.
“What do you want, Lyla?”
She presses her lips together, like she doesn’t know how to answer.
“Do you…” My throat feels tight as I force the words out. “Do you want me to wait? Or are you saying this is it?”
Her shoulders slump as she lets out a shaky breath, her gaze falling to her lap.
“The draft isn’t far from now,” she says, softly. “Neither of us even knows where you’ll end up. Or where I will. Everything’s…uncertain.”
I don’t say anything at first, just watch as her fingers fidget with the hem of her sleeve.
Because I already know what I’m going to do.
I already decided the second Megan gave her that ultimatum.
But watching her now—so unsure, so careful, trying so hard not to fall apart…it just…wrecks me a little more.
So, I lean back, resting my arm along the back of the couch, my eyes still on her.
“You know,” I say quietly. “We started this without thinking about where it was going. Without planning. Without even talking about it.”
She glances up at me, confused, but I keep going.
“Maybe that’s how we should end it too.”
