And he’s not wrong.
This next move will take precision.
Timing.
Control.
We’ll need to do recon, figure out how to play this without setting off another emotional landmine. But even with the gears turning in the background, I couldn’t focus. Not with Lyric echoing in every corner of my mind.
Now I’m back at my place, this oversized mansion that feels more like a shell than a home. It’s quiet, too quiet, and all I can think about is how much better life felt crammed onto her secondhand couch, eating spicy takeout, with Polly perched on my shoulder and Lyric curled up against my side like she belonged there.
Because she did.
She still does.
And yeah, maybe I’ve taken a few hits to the ego lately, but it’s not weakness that’s got me here. It’s the weight of losing something that mattered more than pride.
I lean forward, elbows braced on my knees as I stare at nothing in particular. The silence presses in, heavy and suffocating, and all I can do is sit here, rage in my chest, ache inmy gut, trying to figure out how the hell everything spiraled so far off course.
She’s in my blood. In my bones. And I’m not done fighting for her.
Not even close.
But right now?
Right now, I’m just a man sitting in the dark, trying to remember what it felt like to breathe easy.
The dim lights of my living room send an ominous tone over the sunken room, while I sip the remainder of my coffee.
I want to do something.
I can’t just sit here.
I have to be proactive.
Ineedto see her.
I make a split-second decision.
Reaching out, I grab my dark coat and storm through my cold foyer, pick up my keys from the buffet, and head for the giant double doors. I push through them, slamming them shut behind me, and make my way to my car. I don’t know what I’m doing. All I know is I need to get to her. My heart pounds in my chest, my breathing frantic as I start the car, then speed off as fast as I fucking can.
The radio flicks on, andSavage Riotplays over the speakers, singing of unrequited love. I grunt, feeling like her father’s either giving me a pep talk or warning me off. I just can’t decipher the message the universe is sending me right now. Tension runs through me while a bead of sweat forms on my brow. My fingers clench the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn ghostly white.
I pull down Lyric’s street, not having any clue what the hell I’m doing.
Am I going to demand she talk to me?
Am I going to throw myself at her mercy?
I haven’t thought this through.
I’m too busy freaking myself out.
I pull the car to a stop across the street, taking a deep breath. I glance over at her home to see that her front bay window is open.
I shake my head.The woman needs to learn to close the blinds.
I step out of the car, closing the door quietly behind me like the sound might shatter something already hanging by a thread. The cool night air brushes against my neck, but it doesn’t do a damn thing to calm the heat building beneath my skin. My legs carry me forward, slow and steady, each step toward her front door pulling something heavier from my chest.
