I hesitate because I can’t tell themeverything. How could Ipossibly explain the Fates or Hayden’s former…job…or how my entire relationship has suffered from a very aggressive godly whiplash?
So, I strip it down to the safest version, the one that hurts least to tell.
“I thought we wanted the same thing,” I say, finally, shrugging like that makes the stretched reality feel less like a lie. “Turns out I was the only one who did.”
Elijah hums, tapping his spoon against his knee. “And are you including the garden project in that…explanation?”
I glance at him. “What?”
“The funding.” He shrugs. “The project. The fact that it all blew up in your face, and then suddenly, Hayden isn’t around anymore. He’s involved in that, isn’t he?” Elijah sips slowly, watching me. “That’s what’s really hurting you, isn’t it?”
I shift, unsettled. “I mean…yeah. That’s part of it.”
Dominic traces his finger around the rim of his glass. “But that’s not all of it, right?”
My stomach twists.
It’s true that this isn’t just about the garden. While I was fighting formydream, Hayden was chasinghis, one I didn’t even know existed or if I was even a part of.
I force my voice to stay even. “I thought we were building something together. Turns out, we had completely different…projects. I think I was just a detour.”
Elijah raises a brow. “Okay, but was he working against you? Actively not supporting you?”
The question hits me sideways. “No.”
Dominic leans in, setting his drink on the coffee table. “Well, that’s what it sounds like. Like he had some secret master plan and you just ended up caught in the cross fire.”
I shake my head immediately. “No,” I say again, more certainthis time. “He’s the one who kept me standing when I would’ve run myself straight into the ground. He…” I stop, my throat tightening. “He was there when grief nearly swallowed me whole. He held me up when I couldn’t do it myself.”
Elijah puts an arm around my shoulders. “Then let’s cut straight to it…What are we really mad about, babe? Are you mad that he didn’t tell you everything? That it came between you?”
My breath catches.
The answer isn’t as simple as one or the other.
“Both? Neither? Maybe I never knew what I was signing up for,” I admit, pressing my fingers into my temples.
Dominic is quiet for a moment, his expression softening. “Look, I don’t know Hayden well. But Idoknow you. And you’ve always loved like it’s an Olympic event. You don’t hold back. You don’t walk away…not without fighting until you’ve got nothing left.”
I swallow.
He gestures vaguely between us. “When you care, you don’t run. You ask for clarity.”
Elijah nods. “Love isn’t about guarantees or being certain. It’s standing there in all the uncertainty and choosing them anyway.”
Dominic retrieves his glass, taking another sip. “And if he doesn’t choose you? Fuck him. We’ll find you someone hotter. But in the meantime, do me a favor and try not to spiral.”
I laugh, but it’s shaky.
Dominic shifts beside me. His usual smirk is absent, replaced with something softer.
“Levi,” he says, rubbing my arm. “What do you need from us? Tell us how we can help.”
The question, so simple, so direct, throws me for a second.
I don’t know how to answer it.
I don’t know how to tell them I’ve been drifting without acurrent since that day at city hall. I don’t know how to explain that I’ve accidentally spent my whole life trying to be the one to light up the room, to be fine, to be the person who never needs anything…only to now realize that I do.
