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“Then don’t.”
“But what if he’s up there waiting? I told him we’d talk tonight.”
“Text him and tell him you need another night to yourself.”
“And if he knocks on my door?”
“You don’t have to answer it.” Reaching over, Chloe took Ash’s hand in hers. “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. No one’s going to force you, so you can relax. And no matter what, I love you.”
She pulled Chloe in for a fierce hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, and it was several minutes before she felt ready to get out of the car. “I love you.”
“Love you too. Call me if you need me.”
“I will.” At the foot of the stairs, she let out a long breath and reminded herself that all she had to do was go up to the second floor and go into her apartment. That was it. She didn’t have to do anything else.
And that’s what she kept telling herself with every step she took.
At the second-floor landing, Ashlynn paused and considered her options—did she want to rip off the bandage or curl up in a ball for a little while?
Ultimately, curling up won.
She wasn’t coming.
Reid saw Chloe drop her off over two hours ago and he hadn’t heard a word from her. His heart sank just thinking of the fact that this could mean they were through. He wasn’t ready for that and he knew he was going to do whatever it took to win her back, but it still hurt knowing that she clearly didn’t feel for him what he felt for her.
Face it, dude. She’s just not that into you…
No. He absolutely refused to believe that. The last few months had proved that they had something and even when things were falling apart around them, he believed in them.
Until…he didn’t.
“Okay, so I have my work cut out for me. I know this.”
Still, he genuinely believed Ashlynn was going to call or text or even just show up at his door. But as he looked at the clock and saw it was after eleven, he knew it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
But because he still had hope for tomorrow, he’d only eaten a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner—basically saving the ingredients for his penne alla vodka just in case Ashlynn took him up on his offer.
I really hope she takes me up on my offer…
For another hour, he flipped through the channels but couldn’t find anything he wanted to watch. By midnight, he shut everything off and padded into the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed, but it took almost an hour to fall asleep.
Reid had no idea how long he’d been asleep when he heard his phone vibrating on his bedside table. “What the…?” Groggily, he reached for it and did his best to keep his eyes open as he swiped the screen.
Ash: Are you awake?
As things came more into focus, he noticed the time was 2:15.
Is she serious right now?
Reid: Barely. You okay?
* * *
Ash: Can’t sleep
Forcing himself to sit up, he propped his pillows up behind him.
Reid: Do you want to come up and we can talk?
