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The question hung in the air, filling the space between them—stabbing holes in the heart of newfound love.
His face fell, an unnatural stillness overtaking his body before he smacked his lips together and stepped back, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The hurt in his eyes ripped holes in her soul.
“You know, Casey...” He grabbed his keys from the dining room table and shuffled toward the apartment door. His hand grasped the knob as he looked back over his shoulder. “I’ve been truthful with you from the first day I met you. I may be a lot of things, but a liar is not one of them. When I told you I loved you last night, I meant it. I’m sorry if that’s not enough.” He pulled the door open and left the apartment, the lock snapping with a soft click.
Her stomach dropped, the pit in her belly swallowing the remains of her heart. She shook her head as the tears pooled, sliding down her cheeks like a river. The silence rang in her ear, each passing second a new stab to her gut.
“You didn’t answer my question. Do you still love her?” she whispered before her knees gave out and she sank to the floor.
Chapter FIFTEEN
Austin
“Do you want a coffee?” Casey dropped her neon-pink bag onto an empty stretch of faux leather seats at gate 3B.
“Umm, yeah. Thanks.” Austin dumped his stuff on the floor and settled into the block of seats. Through the smeary window, his gaze sought the empty tarmac, the minutes ticking away as their flight to California loomed. With a sigh, he yanked his computer from his bag and opened it across his lap. The device powered to life as his stomach twisted, each knot tightening in his chest.
“Okay, be right back,” she announced and marched away.
His eyes followed her through the crowd, a smile spreading across his lips as she stumbled where the carpet met the tile of the walkway. Casey disappeared into the sea of hurried passengers, her flip-flops slapping away across the floor.
Austin released a heavy exhale, rubbing the muscles in his neck. His heart hadn’t quite repaired from the blowout fight they shared a week prior, their relationship strained and tested for the first time.I owe you an apology, Cinderella...He shook his head and dropped his gaze back to his computer, focusing on the spinning pinwheel as the airport’s crappy wi-fi network appeared.
You called me on the very thing I hate most about myself, Casey girl. And none of it is fair to you.
“Dammit, Mavis,” he muttered as the internet connected. His eyes closed as he dropped back in his seat to allow the memories of last year to flood his brain. Her voice reverberated in his soul, her admission of love squeezing the air from his lungs. “You loved me back,” he whispered, dragging his hands along his cheeks. “You really did...” A moment of epiphany rippled through his body.I watched you struggle, Mavs, torn between me and Josh.He snorted, realization gripping his heartstrings.And now here I am in the same struggle. You or Casey?
The day he moved to Chicago rebounded in his memory as he turned again to stare out the window. The plane pulled up to the gate as a smile tugged at his lips, the recall of Casey crashing into his battered heart, unknowingly helping him navigate his conflicted sense of self. He hung his head. “You deserve better, Casey girl...”
I owe you something better.
Blowing out a breath, Austin opened the mayor of Chicago’s webpage, Casey’s information pre-populating into each box. His heart lurched as he reviewed the materials he’d secretly pieced together for her over the last week, praying she’d change her mind before the deadline to apply.
Her butt hit the chair beside him, the scent of fresh coffee wafting to his nose.
“Here you go.” She pushed the coffee into his hands.
