He glances up and sees me. For a moment, something raw crosses his face. Then it’s gone, replaced by that neutral mask he wears for everyone else. When did I become everyone else?
I walk over and wait until he removes his headphones. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Silence. Thick and uncomfortable. I hate it. This new distance between us that didn’t exist before.
“You’ve been busy,” I try.
“Yeah.” He reaches for a towel, wiping his face. Not meeting my eyes. “Lot going on.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really.”
The words sting more than they should. I take a breath, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He finally looks at me. Something flashes in his eyes—guilt? Regret?—before he shuts it down. “No. You didn’t do anything.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re avoiding me?”
“I’m not avoiding you. I’m just—” He stops. Runs a hand through his sweat-damp hair. “I’ve got stuff going on. It’s not about you.”
“Then tell me what it’s about.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
He doesn’t answer. Just stands there, jaw tight, radiating tension.
“Okay.” I take a step back. “I get it. You need space. I can give you space.”
“Win—”
“No, it’s fine.” It’s not fine. Nothing about this is fine. “Just… let me know when you’re ready to talk. Or don’t. Whatever.”
I turn and walk away before he can see my eyes stinging.
He doesn’t follow.
“I think he’s done.”
Tori looks up from her wine glass, concern creasing her forehead. We’re at her place again—our default crisis location—with Maisie already in bed and Zayden conveniently at an away game.
“Done with what?” she asks carefully.
“With me. With whatever this is.” I take a long drink of my own wine. “Maybe the whole fake thing just ran its course, and he doesn’t know how to end it.”
“Winnie—”
“It makes sense, right? We had an arrangement. The arrangement served its purpose. The guys leave me alone now, my metrics are great. I got what I needed out of it, and he sees that as time to move on.”
“That’s not—”
“And the other stuff—maybe that was just… convenience. Proximity. We spent a lot of time together, things got physical, but that doesn’t mean he actuallywants—” Me. Ouch.
