Page 53 of Let Her Run

Jake nodded, his own heart aching with the knowledge that he was the one causing her pain. "Alright," he agreed, his voice barely audible. "We'll forget it for now."

The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with unspoken emotions. They stood there for a moment longer, each lost in their own thoughts before Jake gestured to the car. "Come on, Red," he murmured, "let me drive you home."

***

The next evening, Jake sat on his couch, a glass of scotch cradled in one hand as he stared at the shifting patterns on the floor from the setting sun. The ice cubes clinked softly against the rim of the glass as they melted, each drop pulling him further into his thoughts.

Fiona's words from yesterday echoed in his mind. Her confession was unexpected, and it only added more confusion. He could have possibly accepted if she wanted to just stay friends, but knowing some part of her felt the same about him was torture. How was he supposed to work with her now when he could feel them grow closer with every case, pulling together like magnets?

Still, his past haunted him like a specter, reminding him of his inability to commit to Lauren when she needed him most. To hurt Fiona in the same way - it was unthinkable.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, taking a swig of the scotch and wincing as the liquid burned its way down his throat. He slammed the glass onto the side table, frustration bubbling up inside him. For once in his life, he wanted to be able to take a leap of faith, to trust that he could make it work with someone he truly cared about. But fear held him back, shackling him to the ghosts of his past.

A knock on the door shattered the silence. Startled, he rose from the chair and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was far too late for an ordinary visitor. He moved cautiously to the door, then opened it up.

The person on the other side caused his stomach to bottom out.

Lauren Price stood there, her blonde hair tied back in a tight ponytail, her green eyes rimmed with red.

Lauren, who had been his partner for years, who he had secretly been dating, on and off the whole time. His first real love and the woman he had messed everything up with.

"Lauren?" he managed to say.

"Jake," she said softly, her voice a ghost from the past. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," he replied, his shock giving way to concern as he quickly opened the door wider. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside, her eyes darting around the familiar space as if searching for something she had lost.

"Lauren, what are you doing here?" Jake asked, closing the door behind her and trying to maintain a semblance of control over his rapidly spinning thoughts. He had regretted letting her go when she transferred from Portland, but never had he expected to see her on his doorstep again.

"Jake, we need to talk," she said, her gaze finally settling on him. The weight of her words hung heavily in the air, casting an ominous shadow over the room as they stood facing each other, memories of their shared past swirling around them.

"Lauren, what are you doing here?" Jake asked again, his voice strained. He couldn't fathom her sudden appearance, nor could he ignore the way his heart hammered in his chest at the sight of her. After Lauren left, Jake had been racked with regret. She ignored his calls, and refused to speak to him. He truly believed he'd never see her again.

"Jake... I need to be honest with you," Lauren looked down at her hands before meeting his gaze, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I haven't been able to move on. I've tried, but... I want you back."

The words hung in the air between them like a guillotine, leaving Jake feeling as if the floor had just dropped out beneath him. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, as if his vocal cords had suddenly seized up.

"Lauren, I..." His voice finally cracked. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, each one more tangled and confused than the last.

He thought about Fiona, about the tender moments they had shared, and the undeniable connection that had formed between them.

But now, staring into the eyes of the woman who had once held his heart, he felt torn in two.

"Jake, say something," Lauren implored, her voice wavering as she took a step closer. The distance between them seemed to shrink and expand all at once as if taunting him with the impossibility of the choice he now faced.

"Lauren, I don't know what to say," he admitted, his eyes darting away from hers as he struggled to collect himself. "I never expected to see you again, and now... Now everything feels so complicated."

"Is it really that complicated, Jake?" She reached out a tentative hand to touch his arm, the warmth of her skin searing him as though it were a brand. "Or are you just scared?"

"Scared?" He had always been terrified of commitment, of allowing himself to be truly vulnerable with someone else. And now, faced with the prospect of rekindling a love he had once let slip through his fingers, that fear threatened to consume him whole.

"Jake, I can't stand here and pretend that I don't still love you," Lauren said earnestly, her eyes begging him to say it back. "But I need to know if you feel the same way. If there's even a chance for us."

He stared at her for a long moment, crushed under the weight of this decision.

"Lauren..." He began, but the words caught in his throat. Did he still love her? Or had he merely been clinging to the ghost of their past, unable to let go and move forward?

But before he could find the strength to speak, the room seemed to close in around them, the air thick with tension and unsaid words. The silence deafened him, leaving him teetering on the edge of a precipice.

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