AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His attention flicked upward at that.
“I know about those kinds of lies,” she said, earnestness in her voice. “I know what it’s like for your brain to tell you it’s safer not to try at all. Mine used to tell me not to leave the house, that nowhere was safe. Once I fought those back, it told me to trust no man, that evil lurked everywhere, that any guy would hurt a woman if given the chance. I still fight those demons, but I dofight.” She shook her head. “Your fight looks different, but it’s still a fight. Your demons tell you that no one could possibly want to be with you. That once I come to my senses, I’ll bail on you. They tell you that you’re somehow less than because of what you’ve been through. They tell you that you’re doing me a favor by pushing me away. And it’sbullshit. You’re an amazing man, Hill. Smart and sexy and brave. You think those women earlier were throwing around money at the auction for you because they were feeling charitable?”
He heard what she was saying, but she wasn’t seeing all the experiences she hadn’t had yet. She was like the girl who’d always lived in the small town who’d never been to the city. He was the boy who lived down her street in that small town. He would not tie her to him, would not hold her back from the world.
He took a deep breath and gathered up the guts to say what needed to be said. “We need to end this. It’s not good for either of us anymore.”
Andi gasped like she’d been hit in the stomach. “You can’t be serious. Are you hearing me at all?”
The betrayed look in her eyes gutted him. “Andi…”
“You give me a movie-worthy kiss, tell me you’re falling in love with me, and thenbreak things off?” she asked, looking up to the heavens as if answers from on high would be forthcoming. “Why would you give me that only to take it away?”
He winced. “We promised we’d always be honest with each other.”
“But you’re not being honest with yourself.” She gave him a frustrated look. “You’re breaking up with me because you’re falling in love with me? Listen to that statement. That doesn’t make any sense.”
The words stabbed at him. “You deserve more than what I can offer you.”
She stared at him for a long moment, like she was trying to figure out a puzzle, testing out different pieces and none fitting. “You know,” she said finally, shaking her head, her tone changing almost as if she were talking to herself. “Maybe that’s true.”
He frowned, her agreement stinging.
Her throat bobbed, and her chin tipped up in that way he’d learned was her defense mode. “I deserve someone who’s willing to risk a broken heart to be with me. Who’s willing to gamble that things may not go perfectly. Someone who doesn’t require a guarantee.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it.
“That’s what being open to love looks like,” she said. “I was willing to risk all of that for you. I was willing to face down whatever demons I had to because it meant I got to be with you.”
The confession tore him open, the past tense in her words hitting home. He wanted to reach for her, to take it all back, but he forced himself to keep his hands at his sides.
Something closed off in her expression. “You’re so concerned that you’re my practice guy, but maybe you weren’tmypractice at all. Maybe I was yours. You tried things out and realized you’d rather be alone.”
He stepped forward, shaking his head. “No, that’s not—”
She lifted a hand, halting him. “Please, don’t. You said what you needed to say. I’m hearing you. This is done. Got it.” She made a quiet sound of disbelief in the back of her throat and gave him a sad-eyed look. “But you know, what I told my friends on movie night was right. Love isn’t romantic. It’s a goddamned horror show. Just when you start to trust that it can be good, it punches you in the face again. I should’ve known better.”
His stomach twisted, hating that he was causing her any pain. “I’m so sorry, Andi.”
She shook her head and hiked her purse up higher on her shoulder. “I know you are. I wish that made it better.” She nodded toward the building. “I’m going home. Tell my friends I wasn’t feeling well.”
“You don’t have to—”
“No, I really do.” She gave him one last look, her mascara making streaks along her cheeks. “Goodbye, Hill.”
With that, she turned and walked away. Hill leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, knowing he’d done the right thing, but his heart breaking into a thousand pieces anyway.I was willing to risk all of that for you.Her words were going to haunt him.
He waited until he saw Andi pull out of the parking lot, and then he steeled himself to go back inside. He would make sure to pay back Eliza, and he would tell her friends to go find Andi, that she’d left upset. He didn’t want her alone tonight.
Hill schooled his face into a blank expression and headed back into the party room. Karaoke had started. Some dude he didn’t know was singing a country song he hated. He saw Andi’s friends gathered on the far side of the room, flipping through a binder of karaoke choices. He took a breath and turned to head that way.
But before he’d taken three steps, Christina stepped into his path. “Hey.”
Hill instantly halted, narrowly avoiding knocking her drink out of her hand. “Hey.”
“I’m glad you’re still here,” she said, pushing up on her toes to get closer to his ear. “I just got here and thought I’d missed you.”
“I was outside, getting some air,” he said against her ear, trying not to shout. “Can we catch up in a second? I need to—”
