Page 67 of Wanna Bet?

"People fake things all the time," Jace argued. Remembering when he used to fake being okay for years after his parents died.

"Not like that." The certainty in Issaky's voice made something twist painfully in Jace's chest. Because part of him believed it too. Part of him had believed it from the beginning. Even after the confession, a part of him had never doubted that Myah loved him.

The problem was that loving him hadn't stopped her from hurting him.

"I think she made a terrible decision," Issaky continued, " and I think she hurt you." Issaky stepped closer and placed a large hand on Jace’s shoulder, "But I think she regrets it."

Jace stared at the floor. Because he believed that too. If she were heartless, this would be easy. If she didn't care, this would be easy. Instead she was Myah. Messy. Impulsive. Infuriating. And somehow still the girl he loved.

"If you never want to date her again," Issaky said, "that's your choice."

Jace looked up. "But?"

"But you owe it to yourself to get answers."

The words settled heavily between them. Because deep down, Jace knew he was right. Ignoring her wasn't solving anything. The hurt remained. The questions remained. The love remained. All he was doing was delaying the inevitable.

Issaky finally stepped aside. "Go talk to her."

Jace stared at the gap between him and the now open doorway. At the path forward. Toward answers and closure.

Toward closure. His pulse quickened. Fear and hope tangling together until he couldn't tell them apart.

"What if she hates me?"

Issaky blinked and then laughed. "Jace. She's been texting you every day for like, a week"

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The first genuine smile he'd managed in days.

Issaky pointed toward the living room. "Your phone's on the couch."

Jace exhaled slowly. The ache in his chest remained, but maybe it wasn't crushing him anymore. Maybe there was finally enough room to breathe around it. Enough room to try again.

He walked into the living room and sat down on the edge of the couch. His phone rested exactly where he'd left it. For several long moments, he simply stared at the screen. At the dozens of unanswered messages. At an entire week of apologies he hadn't allowed himself to accept.

Slowly, he unlocked it and the messages filled the screen. One after another. Each one carrying a piece of the hurt she'd been living with while he hid from it.

His thumb hovered over the oldest message.

Fear twisted in his stomach. With a shaky breath, Jace tapped the screen, and for the first time in seven days, he finally let himself feel what Myah had been trying to tell him.

Chapter Sixteen

To: Myah

​I’m coming over. We need to talk.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Jace hadn't planned on answering.

He stared at the phone from the couch in Ellis's apartment while the television played some show neither of them were actually watching.

Ellis glanced over eventually. "You gonna answer her?"

Jace looked away from his phone. "I don't know."

That wasn't entirely true. He did know. The problem was that every option felt terrible. If he ignored her, he'd spend the night wondering what she wanted to say. If he answered, he'd have to hear it.