Page 202 of Strange Seduction
He turned and moved to the door.
“All the rooms in the hotel are booked,” he said, hand on the doorknob. “So I’m gonna sleep on the couch.”
He didn’t wait for a response. Didn’t even give me a final look.
He just added, flatly, “Good night.”
And then the door closed behind him.
I stood in the center of the room for what felt like hours.
“Night,” I whispered back, to no one.
?????
Sleep refused to come.
My body ached from exhaustion, but my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw his face from earlier. Blank. Disconnected. Like I wasn’t even standing in front of him.
I wish I had never given the ring back. I wish we could talk more.
I turned over for the fifth time, then sat up, staring at the door he’d disappeared behind. I hated how big the bed felt withouthim. Hated how quiet the room was when he wasn’t breathing beside me.
Eventually, I gave up. Tugged on the hotel robe again, crept across the floor, and cracked the door open.
The lights were off in the living room, save for the faint flicker of a lamp left on in the corner. The city lights outside spilled across the glass windows, casting blue-gray shadows along the walls.
I found him curled up on the couch.
His arm draped over his eyes, chest rising and falling steadily. Fast asleep.
I stood there in silence, confused at how peaceful he looked.
How could he sleep after a day like this?
How could he just shut it all off while I was in our room unraveling?
I moved closer, careful not to wake him. His mouth was slightly parted. That little furrow between his brows—the one that always surfaced when something weighed on him—was still there, even in sleep.
He looked younger like this.
I crouched next to him and wrapped my arms around my knees, watching his face.
“I love you so much,” I whispered. “And I know I’ve hurt you more times than you deserve. And for that I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t stir.
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe we’re not ready for this level yet.”
The words caught in my throat. Saying them out loud made them real. I blinked back the burn behind my eyes and stared at the floor.
“I always thought our love would be enough to fix things. But all we’ve done lately is break each other,” I said, voice barely audible. “I hate that I made you feel like you had to choose to end things for both of us. I hate that I made you feel like you trappedme into something I wasn’t ready for. I wasn’t trying to make you the villain, Teddy. I just—”
My voice cracked. I sucked in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.
“I just got scared.”
Silence.
