But he didn’t. He said nothing. And the silence was more telling than anything he could’ve said.
I crawled into bed, alone. I felt sick to my stomach—physically sick—at the thought of him leaving. He was moving out, moving on. We both were. I’d known it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.
I kept telling myself this was a good thing. Now I knew where we stood.NowI could finally move forward with Arlo without being held back by whatever I’d hoped for with Bennett. And Arlo was an amazing guy. He was handsome, kind, generous…all the things I’d wanted in a partner.
But he didn’t make me feel like Bennett did. No one made me feel like Bennett did. But Bennett didn’t love me.
* * *
The next morning,Harper took one look at me and said, “You look terrible. What happened?”
I slumped down in my chair. “I’m going out of town with Arlo.”
“Ugh. I can’t believe Bennett’s just going to let you go.”
“Yep.” I turned to my computer. I didn’t want to talk about it. We’d both made our decision. I was moving on.
“But, but…the way he looks at you.”
I tilted my head to the side. “How does he look at me?”
“Like you’re his entire reason for existing.”
My breath caught, but I shut it down quickly.
“I know you doubt your judgment when it comes to dating,” she continued, “but the man is in love with you.”
Harper was wrong. Last night had proved that. I wished I’d never listened to her stupid plan. Bennett was more than okay with me going out of town with Arlo. I’d given him enough opportunities to say no, but he hadn’t even hesitated. He’d answered quickly and without hesitation. His tone sharp. His words to the point.
“I don’t want to talk about Bennett. Arlo is perfect. Like, literally perfect. He checks every item on my list. He loves kids, and he’s great with River. He’s generous and kind. He’s funny and hot. I mean, I could go on and on.”
Harper sighed and took a sip of her coffee.
“What?” I snapped, knowing she was biting back a comment. I wasn’t being fair to her, but my emotions were all over the place.
“Honestly…sometimes it feels like you’re trying to talk yourself into Arlo.”
I jerked my head back. “What?”
“No one’s perfect. And even if Arlo was, that’s not what matters. What you need to ask yourself is not if a man is perfect, but is he perfectfor you?”
Bennett was perfect for me. But…
I thought back to last night when I’d told him Arlo had invited me away for a romantic weekend. I’d lost count of how many times I’d replayed it in my head. Bennett had never once given me any indication he wanted me to stay. He’d asked me questions—was I ready? Could I see a future with Arlo? But nothing more.
I could’ve pushed. Maybe I should’ve. But I was scared. I was scared to be so vulnerable, only to discover that he didn’t feel the same way. At least this way, I could still save face.
“Wren.” Harper came around the table to sit beside me. “Do you love him?”
I nodded, a single tear falling. “I think I always have.”
She smiled, placing her hand over mine. “Take it from someone who nearly missed out on something amazing… Don’t live with regrets.”
“Right.” I laughed, though the sound was hollow. “Have you forgotten that it was fake? He was only touching me, kissing me, because I asked him to. Because I wanted him to help me not be…so awkward with guys.” I studied my hands as if they were the most interesting thing on the planet.
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten. But I don’t thinkeverythingwas fake.”
“Neither did I, but I think that’s just because I wanted so badly for it to be real.”
