Page 71 of Run to Me

I square my shoulders and raise my chin, refusing to be the vulnerable one who claims defeat. This loss belongs to him. “I’m saying this is your shot, Jensen. You won’t get another one.” Tell me you care about me, because you’re the only person alive who does.

The silence is deafening, louder than any shot fired at close range.

He fists his hair again and searches my face with frantic eyes, seeking the punchline to the joke. When it doesn’t come, and he remains speechless, I ignore the ache in my stomach. I also dismiss the urge to comfort him as he harshly tugs at the strands. Instead, I offer him one last chance.

“Ticktock, Jensen. It’s now or never.”

“Birdie, you’re not being fair. I—You—We can’t—” He swallows his failed words along with all hope for our future together.

I’m not the emotional girl who cries and begs to get what she wants. I’m made of tougher stuff. So I slip on the mask of indifference I inherited from my mother and sever ties with the only person alive who loves me. Even if he won’t admit it.

“Never it is.” Twirling on my heel, I plan to storm away, but he jumps to his feet and grabs my arm to stop me.

Fury hisses from his lips when he delivers a verbal punch. “Why the fuck are you being like this? You’re acting like a silly little girl!”

My free hand shoots up fast. I’m shocked by his quick reflexes when he captures my wrist before my palm connects with his face.

He holds both of my arms against his chest to keep me in place. “We don’t do that, birdie. We don’t hurt each other.”

“You struck first!”

Heavy regret forces his eyelids to close. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Let go of me!” I tug against his hold, but he doesn’t relent.

“What happens when I do?” An eerie calm smooths his features, but fear swirls in his eyes as he awaits my answer.

Taking a play from his playbook, I glare at him with pursed lips and say nothing. We stare at one another for mere seconds that stretch like an excruciating lifetime.

“Maisy.”

A thick, heavy pause hangs between us. A guillotine with a sharp blade, ready to drop and sever the threads binding us. I can tell he senses the looming devastation. Panic is written all over his face.

A tremor creeps into his whisper. “What happens when I let go?”

My tone remains unaffected despite the pain clawing through me. “Nothing will happen. Ever. Because I don’t need you anymore.”

The blade drops, swift and violent. He releases my wrists, eyes wide and lips parted on a gasp of disbelief. Jensen knows me better than anyone does, and he knows my decision is final.

I escape into my house and slam the door. Chest heaving and hope shattered, I fight back the tears threatening to fall. When he roars, “Fuck!” from the other side, followed by a crashing sound, I almost change my mind. Almost. But I’m nothing if not stubborn. Jensen chose never? Well, he can have all of mine.

I will never shed another tear.

I will never give a boy the power to hurt me.

I will never allow myself to be vulnerable again.

I will never speak to Jensen Holloway for as long as I live.

One day, I’ll leave this town and never come back.

Sniffling, I wipe my cheeks and attempt a laugh. “It all seems silly now, doesn’t it? Teenage drama at its finest.”

“You loved him,” Tatum whispers with a blend of wonder and pity in her eyes.

“I thought he loved me,” I say, correcting her. “When I needed him most, he let me down. That’s not love.”

“But you also loved him or else you wouldn’t have been so hurt that you held a grudge for this long.”