Page 36 of Before Broken Vows
My hand hovers just above the wood.
Just knock.
He'd answer. Maybe scowl. Maybe ignore me. But maybe, just maybe, he'd let me in.
I imagine it. Sitting across from him like we used to. Maybe he'd pour me a vodka soda. Maybe I'd finally tell him the truth.
That I didn't leave because I stopped loving him.
I left because I loved him too much.
My fingers curl slowly into a fist.
But I hesitate. Paralyzed by the same fear that made me leave in the first place.
Because what if I tell him, and he looks at me like a stranger?
What if he says nothing?
What if he just walks away?
I lower my hand.
It's not time. Not yet.
As I turn to leave, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I take it out, heart jumping.
It's him.
I have to talk to him.
I hurry back to my room. My phone stops buzzing.
1 Missed Callflashes across the screen.
My heart flutters. I can't miss this.
Theo flies from my mind as my phone buzzes again.
I quickly shut the door, answer the call, and press the phone to my ear, my heart skipping a beat.
"Hey," I whisper.
A pause.
Then I smile.
"I know. I miss you too. I'll be home soon, don't worry."
13
THEO
As I walk across the house, I realize just how right Ares is.
Since she showed up, I'm barely holding myself together. I can't work, can't sleep, can't think without her voice clawing through every other thought. I'm not 100% focused on what I need to be.
Tonight, that ends.
