I’m knee-deep in wiring when her phone buzzes again. The sound has been a steady drumbeat since I got here, and every time it goes off, I see the flicker in her eyes. She doesn’t answer, but I can tell she wants to. It’s like she’s trying to pretend it doesn’t exist.
But I can feel the tension. It’s hanging in the air between us, thick and charged, making it harder to focus on the damn wires in front of me.
I wipe my hand across my forehead, leaning back on my heels, glancing up at her. She’s staring out the window again, arms crossed tight like she’s holding herself together.
“You gonna answer that or keep pretending it’s not happening?” I ask, pushing just enough to see if she’ll bite.
Her body stiffens, and she turns away from the window slowly, her voice clipped. “It’s nothing.”
Yeah, right.
I stand, stretching my arms and wiping my hands on the rag I’ve been using. I don’t move closer—yet—but I keep my eyes on her. “Doesn’t look like nothing,” I say, my voice casual, even though I’m anything but. “That your ex?”
Her gaze snaps to mine, sharp and defensive. “Why do you care?”
I shrug, leaning back against the wall, trying to keep the edge out of my tone. “I don’t. But if someone’s messing with you, I figure I should know. Might need to handle it.”
She lets out a bitter laugh, like she’s heard this before. “Handle it? What are you going to do, go all mountain-man on him? Trust me, it’s not worth it.”
I raise an eyebrow, letting a slow grin spread across my face. “Mountain-man, huh? Well, if he’s bothering you, I’ve got no problem handling him. Just say the word.”
She narrows her eyes, trying to size me up, but her phone buzzes again, louder this time in the silence. She pulls it out, stares at the screen like it’s got the answers to every bad decision she’s ever made. Her jaw tightens, and I can see the tension ratcheting up a notch.
I’m not in the mood to dance around this.
“You gonna keep letting him get to you?” I push off the wall, closing some of the space between us. “Or do you want me to show you how to block his ass?”
Her head snaps up, her eyes flashing with something—anger, frustration, maybe both. “It’s not that simple.”
I take another step, not letting her off the hook. “Sure it is. You hit block, and boom—he’s gone. Simple.”
She shakes her head, looking away, her fingers tightening around the phone like it’s her lifeline. “You don’t understand. Cutting him off isn’t just... easy.”
I watch her, reading between the lines. This isn’t just about blocking a number. There’s more to it. She’s still tethered to that old life, whatever it was. That city. That guy. It’s written all over her, no matter how much she tries to hide it.
“Let me guess,” I say, my voice dropping. “He’s got some kind of hold on you. Makes you think you still need him, right? That without him, you can’t handle it on your own.”
She flinches, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. Her jaw clenches, and she looks at me, her voice sharp. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like?” I don’t back down, taking another step closer, my eyes locked on hers. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s still pulling your strings.”
Her eyes flash with something more complicated this time—anger, maybe, or something deeper. “You don’t know anything about my life,” she snaps. “About why I left the city, or why he keeps calling. So don’t pretend you do.”
I nod, keeping my voice steady. “You’re right. I don’t know the details. But I know a guy like that doesn’t deserve your attention. Hell, he doesn’t deserve your time, Bella.”
She opens her mouth to fire something back at me, but her phone buzzes again. The name flashes across the screen for a second before she flips it face-down on the counter like she can ignore it if she just doesn’t look.
I step in closer, not leaving her any room to hide. “Block him,” I say, my voice low but firm. “Now. Or I will.”
She stares at me, her chest rising and falling a little faster now, like she’s trying to keep her composure, but it’s slipping. “You think it’s that easy,” she says, her voice softer now but still edged with tension. “To just cut ties with everything I used to be? With the life I built?”
“I think if you don’t, you’ll never be free of it.” The words come out blunt, but they need to. I can feel the pull between us, feel her resisting the inevitable. She’s tied to something she doesn’t even want, and it’s keeping her from whatever this is between us.
She hesitates, her hand hovering over the phone. I can see the war going on inside her, the way she’s torn between what she knows she should do and what she’s still holding on to.
I take another step, invading her space, my voice a low growl. “Bella, block him. You’re better than this.”
Her eyes snap to mine, something fierce and conflicted flashing in them. For a moment, the air between us is thick, crackling with tension. I can feel it buzzing between us, something raw, something undeniable.
