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He takes a deep breath before answering. “They’re all special moments to us. Or things from our relationship that made me fall in love with you. Inside jokes, too,” he whispers.
“They’re…beautiful,” I breathe. Beautiful is an understatement.
I can’t bring myself to look at Will, but I feel him shrug beside me, his breathing faster than it should be. “Yeah.” His voice comes out a little mangled—unnatural.
My hands hover over the icing paintings of different things we’ve shared together, too scared to pick one of the cookies up and accidentally drop them. Like I’d destroy the memories I’ve treasured so much in my heart if I did.
An extremely detailed cookie of Ginger in her green tufted chair—my heart grows two sizes, leaving me wondering how that’s even possible when I haven’t been able to get a full breath in weeks.
A Star Trek logo painted in edible gold that has my cheeks blazing red at the memory of what we did on his bed.
Two friendship bracelets, one on top of the other, with BFF beads on them that remind me of the best friend I ever had.
A bowl of chocolatey cereal makes me snort, the way he serves himself one of my favorite Will quirks.
Cartoon figures of a man and a woman—Will and me—cuddling in bed with an orange cat on the edge—perfect mornings together that had me wishing for more days like that.
The same couple standing with their faces close together, a floral dress similar to the one I wore that first night we met in real life—the night we first made love.
And a pop-up window with a sentence from one of the first emails he sent me where he called me a breath of fresh air, taking me back to all those months ago. When I was lonely, when I still had Molly but didn’t feel understood. When I was finally getting my life together but hadn’t yet met the stranger who would change it for the better. Who would make me feel seen. Who would steal my heart and soul, when I would’ve given it to him willingly, anyway.
Will.
“I—I know they’re a little corny,” he says in a low voice. “In retrospect, maybe I should’ve cancelled the commission because of everything. But I just couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I manage to say in a whisper. “They’re incredible.”
I pick up the cookie with the email reverently, my eyes tearing up.
He sighs beside me, both of us carefully inspecting the fine details in the lettering, the perfect blend of colors. “Even then,” his whisper is deep, with an ache to it. “Even then I knew, Bridge. I knew you were special. I knew you were going to save me.”
I don’t dare breathe, because I’m scared of what I might say if I have enough oxygen in my lungs.
“I understand why you dumped me. Believe me, I do. If some other guy would’ve done this to you, I would’ve—” He tenses, and I look over to find his eyes squeezed shut as if he were in pain. “You deserve better.”
When he finally looks at me, we stare quietly at each other for a moment. As his eyes travels all over my face, I wonder whether he’s getting his last fill before I ask him to leave my apartment—and my life—forever.
Except that I don’t think that’s what I want anymore. I don’t think that’s what I’ve wanted for a long time.
“You’re right,” I say, my voice breaking, Molly’s words suddenly making more sense than anything ever has. “I do deserve better. You taught me that. To stop settling.”
Will swallows, his eyes full of hurt. “Yes, I did. And I still believe that, Bridge. I’m not gonna—” He sighs, frustrated. “I’m not here to try to convince you to come back to me. To forgive me and let me love you for the rest of our lives, no matter how badly I want to. I know what I did. And what I didn’t do, for that matter. I know I hurt you and fucked everything up, and I love you enough to know you deserve better.” He pauses. “I will always love you. And I will always pick you over my own happiness.”
“So you agree? That I deserve not to settle? That I deserve to be happy, no matter what?”
“Yes. Always. Of course, Bridge.”
“Then why are you pushing me away?” The first tear of what I suspect will be many streams down my cheeks. “If you want me to be happy—if you want me not to settle—then why are you pushing me to lead a life without you in it?”
Will’s eyes widen, slack-jawed. “What?”
“I—I was angry, Will. Am still angry, a little, I think. But… I love you.”
“You… love me?” He takes a careful step forward.
“Yes,” I say between soft sobs. “Yes, very much. And I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to go away anytime soon. Maybe ever. I tried for a while and…” I shake my head. “It didn’t work. I didn’t like it.”
“Bridge.”
