Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
“No.”
“I’m fine,” I assured quietly.
“I can’t do this,” he declared.
“Do what?” I asked.
“This. Us. I’ve been meaning to end it with you for weeks. I should have done that when I first had the thought. It would have saved you having to go through last night.”
I didn’t move, not quite sure I heard him correctly.
“Now that you’re awake,” he went on, “I’m gonna get my shit and go. We made a deal you could stay here while your mom gets on her feet. I’m honoring that deal. You can stay as long as you need. Just inform Brandi when you’re able to go back to Brooklyn.”
Wait.
Was he…?
Was he breaking up with me?
My voice was trembling when I admitted, “I’m not sure I’m following.”
“We’re done, Elz,” he stated, like he was telling me it was raining. “It was great. You’re great. We had some good times. But I have shit I have to do. I can’t be taking care of cats or responsible for women getting slashed by my stalkers—”
“Hale—”
He shook his head. “No, Elsa. You knew it wasn’t going to be a thing when we started. We both knew. Last night just motivated me to stop fucking around because I like you.”
“If you like me, then I don’t understa—”
“It isn’t going to go anywhere. I’m not that guy.”
“You’re not that guy,” I whispered.
He stared at me.
“You’ve known for weeks you wanted to end it and you’re doing it,”—I lifted my bandaged hand and arm—“now?”
He flinched. “Not good timing, sweetheart, but—”
Oh, fuck no.
“Don’t call me sweetheart. And I’m not staying here.”
“We made a deal.”
I leaned into the island and shrieked, “Fuck our deal!”
Hale closed his mouth.
“You’re right,” I snapped. “I knew. I knew from the beginning. In fact, for weeks, all the signals you were giving me, not, incidentally, signals that you wanted to end it, quite the opposite, but I knew, if I was smart, I’d be sure I was reading them right. I’d ask you. Ask you what was happening between us. I didn’t. My mistake. Because obviously, I wasn’t reading your signals right.”
“I really did enjoy—” he started.
And fuck no to that too.
“Fuck the words of platitude, Hale. But here are some words of advice. The next woman, be sure to keep her in tune with where you’re at so she doesn’t fuck up royally and fall in love with you.”
On that, I ignored the way his handsome face froze, left my coffee where it was, whirled and stormed to the stairs.
He caught my good wrist before I got there.
I stopped, twisted it free, and took a step away from him.
“Don’t touch me,” I bit.
“Take a breath, sweetheart. Calm down. I fucked up. I shouldn’t have done this now.”
I shook my head. “No. Nope. Now’s the perfect time. I already regret how totally fucking stupid I’ve been. If you’d tacked more time on that, it’d make it worse, not better.”
“I need to know you—”
I threw up both hands, feeling far more than a ping of pain in my injured one, but since managing other pain I was experiencing took precedence, I ignored that too. “I don’t care what you need. I need to get the fuck out of here.”
“I can’t let you go when you’re agitated like this.”
“Are you fucking insane?” I shouted. “You just broke my heart!”
And unfortunately, my voice broke on that last part.
He took a step toward me, his face…
His face…
I couldn’t let myself process the look on his face.
“Baby,” he whispered.
I couldn’t process that either.
I started toward the stairs again. “Fuck you, Hale.”
He caught me again.
I yanked away and screeched, “Fuck you!”
We stood, staring at each other.
Then I said, “It would be really nice if you could give me some space to collect some of my stuff and go. I’ll arrange to come back and get the rest when you’re not around.”
“I want you to stay here.”
“I’m not staying here.”
He drew in breath and then he said, “I get you need to leave right now. Come back when I’m gone. I’ll be gone in two hours.”
“I’m not fucking staying here, Hale.”
“Right,” he said quietly. “Then let me call Paul to take you home.”
I shook my head. “No Paul. No you. No on your place. I’ll call a Lyft.”
“I’d feel better if you let me call Paul.”
“What aren’t you getting about this?” I snapped. “You ended it. We’re done. Let me get on with us being done.”
He crossed his arms on his chest. “I’m not leaving until you allow me to call Paul to take you home.”
“Fine,” I spat.
He nodded.
I opened the baby gate, closed it behind me and warned, “Don’t follow me.”
He didn’t follow me.
I got dressed. I packed a bag. I called my dad.
Then I gathered everything I had before I walked back downstairs.
A wasted effort.
Paul was hanging out by the elevators.
Hale was gone.