She was as beautiful as she always was. Romi had been so distracted by
Kiera’s terrible expression when she walked in that she failed to notice how
incredible she looked, even just in a t-shirt and yoga pants. She had her hair
swept back in a messy bun on top her head and, as usual, wore almost no
makeup at all.
Kiera’s natural beauty wrecked Romi in a completely new way. Just
yesterday, all that beauty had been hers. Hers to treasure. Kiera had been
hers. Hers to touch. Hers to love. Hers to pour her soul out to and listen to
Kiera do the same. Now they were just…nothing. They weren’t even
friends. Kiera was as unattainable as she was when Romi thought she
actually had a boyfriend. Maybe she was more available then than she
actually was now.
Hope was so cruel. It was probably the cruelest of all emotions. It hurt, to
have something, even for just a short time, ripped so cruelly and brutally
away. It hurt not to just contemplate losing Kiera, but to realize that she was
already gone. She’d made her decision. Romi knew that there was nothing
she could do or say to change her mind.
But Romi wasn’t a quitter, and she didn’t have it in her to go down
without a fight. Kiera was worth fighting for.
“We can talk about this,” Romi insisted. “You don’t have to just walk
away. Maybe you just need more time. This is hard and I understand that. I
can help—”
“No. My parents aren’t receptive to this. I can’t imagine how it would
change everything. Nothing would be the same. Nothing. Ever again. I can’t
just give up my family and risk everything for you. For anyone. People
break up all the time. I could be left with nothing and no one and I just
can’t.”
“I wouldn’t just break up with you! What are you talking about? I would
never do that. I would never hurt you like that.”
“I know. I know you wouldn’t, but you can’t promise forever and neither