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***
The next few hours passed in what felt like an eternity. Every time I heard a noise outside the door, I shot off the sofa and peered through the peephole like I was forming some kind of new neighbourhood watch scheme.
My heart went from zero to one hundred and back again every single time, and I was honestly wondering if I’d developed some kind of shiny new nervous tick.
That was probably why I almost fell off my sofa when he knocked on the door.
I was so adamant that every noise was not him that I wasn’t prepared for the one that was.
I shuffled to the door and looked through the peephole. His dark hair was all tousled, like he’d run his fingers through it a thousand times already today, the rest of his face was covered by the shadow of him looking at his feet. His hand was resting against the wall next to the door, and he looked how I felt.
My heart both swelled and broke at the sight of him.
I took a deep breath and opened the door just enough that he could see me.
He looked up at me, and everything I felt for him rushed through my body like a tidal wave. It was the most intense flood of feelings I’d ever experienced, and it was somewhere between the goosebumps of happiness and the sinking sensation of grief.
“I didn’t think you’d answer,” he said softly.
“Neither did I for a moment,” I replied. “You didn’t have to drive all the way up here.”
“I did. You know I did.”
I looked away. “Do you want to come in?”
“If that’s all right.”
Nodding, I stepped back from the door and let him come inside. He did so tentatively, almost as if he were afraid that I’d slam the door on him.
In his defence, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d done such a thing.
I pushed the door closed behind him and leaned against it. “Do you want something to drink? Or eat? I—”
“Why did you leave?” He turned to me, and his eyes blazed with a raw emotion that made my stomach tighten. “Ten minutes. I missed you by ten minutes.”
I dragged my gaze away from him. “Whose fault is that?”
“That’s unfair. I—”
“No, it’s not unfair.” I pushed off the door and folded my arms across my chest. “You have no right to make me feel bad for leaving. You had the option to stand up for me and follow me the second I left, and you chose neither.”
He rubbed his hand down his face. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I had to leave because I couldn’t stay there anymore. I stood there and listened as I was called a liar and berated and belittled because of a situation I was forced into against my will. I should have been honest and ignored everyone else, but I didn’t, and that’s my fault, but I was doing what I thought was right. None of that justified the way I was treated. And of everyone in that room, you were the one person who I thought would stand up for me. You didn’t.”
“I regret it so much,” he said, and I could see the truth in his eyes. “There’s no excuses for why I didn’t stand up for you, and you have no idea just how sorry I am for that.”
“Why are you here, Hugo?” I rubbed my hand up and down my arm. “I don’t know what you think you could achieve by coming.”
“You left.” He held out his hands. “And we are not done, Sophie.”
“On the contrary, we are done,” I said firmly. “Trust me. We knew getting into this that we would be done when I had to leave, and that happened last night.”
“This is not over, Sophie.”
“Yes, it is!” I threw out my arms. “You told me if this was my decision that you’d respect it. I cannot and will not ever go back to Moorhaven, and that’s where your entire life and future is. What part of that makes you think that we could ever work as anything more than a casual fuck?”
He laughed, smiled, and looked over at me. “A casual fuck? Are you still on the hill that this is nothing more than sex?”
