Maybe he was right.
Maybe Icoulddo this.
Maybe loving Nano didn’t mean losing myself. Maybe it meant finding the parts of me I’d been too afraid to face.
“I need to see him,” I said quietly.
Oscar nodded. “I figured.”
“I need to tell him—” I stopped, my throat tight. “I need to tell him I’m sorry. That I was wrong. That I...” I took a shaky breath. “That I love him.”
“Then tell him.”
“What if he doesn’t want to hear it?”
“He will.” Oscar’s voice was certain. “Trust me. That man would burn the world down for you. He’s not gonna turn you away.”
I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt. But the fear was still there. The doubt. The voice whispering that I didn’t deserve him, that I had already fucked it up beyond repair.
“What if I’m too late?” I whispered.
Oscar looked at me, his expression softening. “Then you’ll know you tried. And that’s more than you’re doing now.”
He was right. I knew he was right. Running hadn’t protected me. It had just made me miserable. And pushing Nano away hadn’t saved me from heartbreak—it hadcausedit.
I loved him. And maybe that was terrifying. Maybe it meant risking everything. Maybe it meant surrendering to the one person who had the power to destroy me.
But maybe, just maybe, it also meant finding the one person who could make me whole.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“Okay?”
“Okay.” I met Oscar’s gaze, my voice stronger this time. “I’ll tell him. I’ll find him, and I’ll tell him the truth.”
Oscar smiled, the expression rare and genuine. “Good.”
“But first”—I gestured to the tray of food—“I need to eat. Because I’m pretty sure I’m gonna pass out if I don’t.”
He laughed, the sound warm and familiar. “Yeah. Eat. Rest. And then we’ll figure out how to get you back to him.”
I picked up the fork, my hands still shaking slightly. But for the first time in days, maybe weeks, I felt like I could breathe.
Because I wasn’t running anymore.
I was choosing.
Choosing to face the truth.
Choosing to be brave.
Choosing to love him, even if it terrified me, and that had to be enough.
Chapter Forty-Four
Nano
My beer was warm.
