Page 138 of Sparks Fly

He didn’t defend her or try to explain it away. “What happened?”

My hands flexed at my sides like they needed something solid to grab.

“We were fine. Dinner, walking around, holding hands.” I shook my head as the memory came back. “Then Lilly showed up, and it was like Addison’s brain slammed a door.”

“And you?”

A sharp laugh escaped me. “And me?”

“Yeah.”

“I stood there while she called me a friend.”

Benji winced. “Sawyer…”

“I know.” I lifted a hand before he could say anything else. The anger drained as quickly as it had appeared. “I know she didn’t do it to hurt me.”

“But it did.”

My throat tightened. “Yeah. It did.”

Neither of us spoke for a moment.

Benji rubbed a hand over his mouth. “She’s scared.”

“I know she’s scared.” The words came out rougher than I meant. “I know. I get it. I really do.”

I looked down at the concrete floor. “But, Benji, I’m falling in love with her.”

He didn’t look surprised. He just looked tired for me.

“And I can’t be someone she edits out when it matters,” I continued. “I can’t keep being the safe part of her life that only exists in private.”

“You shouldn’t.”

I was very surprised he was defending my feelings and not just his sister, “I told her I needed space.”

His eyebrows lifted. “You left?”

“I did. And I hated it.”

“Good for you.”

I looked up. “Good?”

“Yeah.” His jaw tightened. “Because you weren’t wrong. She needs to understand that this has consequences. Not as punishment. Just because your feelings are real too.”

Part of me had wanted Addison to stop me. To grab my sleeve, pull me back, and say my name like she meant it.

To prove I wasn’t something that only existed when no one else was looking.

But she hadn’t.

She had stood there wrapped in her fear and let me walk away.

Benji shifted closer and lowered his voice. “Look, Addison has been trained for that world since she could walk. And after I came out, it got worse.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”