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She had thought getting out of Akron, away from Mike, would make it easier to breathe, but the farther she got, the more she remembered. The whole drive, over twenty hours total, she replayed her time with him. Every kiss, touch, and moment he looked her in the eyes, remembering how they crinkled in the corners when he smiled, she couldn’t turn it off. It was a movie playing on loop in her mind.
And when she finally arrived at her apartment, she walked inside and promptly slid down to the floor. This summer was not at all what she expected. She was kidding herself when she thought she’d be able to move on from him like she did every other relationship in her life.
Mike was right when he’d said she ran away, but that wasn’t the case this time. In the past, she had kept herself closed off, choosing to leave before she could get hurt because it was easier that way. Yet telling Mike she loved him wasn’t easy. It was one of the most difficult things she’d ever done. Packing up and moving down here, that was hard too.
For the first time in her academic career—hell, her entire life—she had second-guessed her decision and had actually wanted to stay in Ohio with Mike. So, she’d set aside her fear and told him the truth, in hopes that they could make a real go of it, no matter what it looked like. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was willing to work through it because she loved him, and he loved her.
Although he didn’t need to say it out loud, and she did her best to ignore it, she had felt it for a while. In the way he held her hands, in those quiet moments when he said nothing at all, and in every simple promise he made and kept, she knew he loved her. That was why she had the strength to tell him.
But he was a fucking liar. He was the one always going on about honesty, yet he refused to be honest with her, didn’t even give her his real reason for letting her go. And it hurt. Plain and simple.
In her more cognizant moments, Sam attempted to minimize the pain by reminding herself she should have been proud of putting herself out there, but even her emotional psychology and positive self-talk didn’t help. It wouldn’t.
She sent out theSOSmessage to the girls, and when they all appeared on FaceTime, including Bronte, still on the island, Sam covered her eyes with her hand.
“Where are you?” Gem asked.
“I’m in Texas.”
Bronte pushed her sunglasses up on her head. “I thought you weren’t leaving for another couple of weeks.”
“I told Mike I loved him,” Sam said and rushed out the rest before they could interrupt. “And he said we should go our separate ways.”
They were all quiet as Sam cried.
“I’m sorry,” Bronte said after a while. “I pushed you.”
Sam dabbed at her eyes. “It’s not your fault.”
Laney shook her head. “I don’t understand. You guys were like…” She linked her fingers together. “There’s no way he doesn’t love you.”
Sam sniffled. “He said he didn’t want to hold me back.”
Gem dropped her chin in her hands. “Dumbass.”
“Gem,” Bronte chided quietly.
“What?” She gestured to her screen. “He is! You don’t let someone like Sam walk away after she tells you she loves you.”
“Maybe he thinks he’s doing the right thing,” Bronte said. “Chris and I walked away from each other, thinking it was the best decision.”
“But it wasn’t,” Gem said.
“No,” Bronte agreed, then lifted one shoulder. “Maybe he needs some time to realize it.”
“Or maybe it wasn’t meant to be,” Sam said, letting her head drop back against the wall. “Not every story has a happy ending.”
“But you should have one.” Laney frowned, her face close to the screen. “Would it make you happy if I kill him?”
That got a laugh out of Sam. “Please.”
“Okay.” Laney nodded resolutely, banging an imaginary gavel. “Everyone knows their job. Sam, you won’t be involved, for obvious reasons. We’ll meet back up at oh-five-hundred.”
“Oh-five-hundred.” Gem wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”
Laney rolled her eyes. “Military time.”
“It’s five in the morning,” Bronte said. “And isn’t that how people in Europe tell time too? Zero to twenty-four-hundred.”
