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There’s no point in replying, because he’ll just ignore me again. Instead, I flop back onto my bed, throwing my arms above my head. The impact of my broken arm hitting the bed has me wincing. I’ve never broken anything before and I certainly didn’t think I’d be breaking bones in my thirties.
As it often does, my mind goes back to Bastian. I don’t understand what he's hoping to achieve by being so attentive. He told me the plan was off, so why is he being so insistent about looking after me? He’s so confusing.
I’m still staring up at the ceiling when a knock sounds on my front door. Climbing from the bed, I walk to the hallway and swing the door open. Sebastian stands in the corridor, a back duffel bag slung over his shoulder and four—that I can count—tote bags from the local supermarket in his hands.
A grin breaks out on my face. I step back from the door as I say, “You need a hand?”
“Nope, I’ve got it.”
“Good, because I’ve only got one,” I chuckle as I hold up my broken arm.
With a shake of his head and a small smirk, he walks to my kitchen, making the space look smaller than it already is. As he lifts the bags onto the counter, I can’t help but be mesmerized by the flex of his biceps.
He doesn’t look up, instead pulling things out of the bags, asking, “Are you going to shut the door or keep standing there staring?”
My cheeks heat as I spring into action and close the front door. I move into the kitchen and peek around him to look at what he’s brought.
“Grab a glass.”
On autopilot, I walk to the cabinet next to the sink and pull out a glass. For a second, I hesitate before pulling down a second and walking back to him. He picks up the carton of fresh orange juice and pours two glasses. Holding one out to me, I grasp it from his hand and bring the glass to my lips.
His eyes are on me, watching my mouth as I drink down the cold liquid. “I got the Calcium fortified one. Vitamin C. It’s…” He scrubs his hand over the back of his neck. “Good for bone healing.”
He’s taking care of me.
My eyes burn with tears that are threatening to spill. I turn away, sliding the glass onto the counter. It’s a sense of guilt that has him looking after me, and I’m not going to allow him to put what happened onto his shoulders.
“You should go,” I murmur, my chin held high with certainty.
“I’m not going to leave you alone. You need someone to stay with you for the next twenty-four hours at least.”
“Savannah is just down the hall. If I need someone, I can call her, but I’m telling you, I’m fine.”
His eyes bore into me, and unable to take the weight of his gaze, I look down at my hands that rest on the counter. It’s then that I realize the engagement ring is still sitting proudly on my finger. In the short space of time that I’ve had it, I’ve become attached to it. I’ll be sad to see it gone.
Briefly, I wonder if my future husband will give me a ring as nice as this one. With a huff of a laugh at the ridiculous thought—because whoever I marry won’t be a billionaire, that’s for sure. I slip the ring off.
Turning to find Sebastian still staring at me, an unidentifiable look in his blue-green gaze, I hold my arm out for him. “You should take this back.”
When he makes no move to take it, I pick up his hand and place the ring into his palm, closing his fingers around it.
Taking a step back, I drop his hand and move to lean back against the counter. He follows and crowds me, his arms caging me in.
Running his nose up the expanse of my neck, I can’t help but tip my head back. It’s instinctive. He exhales, and it’s as if the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders. I want to pull him closer, to tell him if he needs me that I’m right here, but that isn’t my place so I keep my hands where they are, resting on the edge of the counter.
He pulls back, his eyes searching mine as he says, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I breathe. I need the space from him. Everything has become so confusing since we got back.
“I don’t like it but I’ll respect your choice. If you need me, you call me, okay?”
I can only nod, even though I won’t, because we need to go back to normal. I need us to not make this any more than it’s already become. I’m on the edge of a cliff, about to fall over the edge and freefall into love with this man, but there isn’t any guarantee that he will be the safety net I need to catch me.
Sebastian brushes his lips over mine in the faintest of kisses before stepping back. He grabs his bag and moves to the front door. On autopilot, my fingers brush over my lips as if trying to touch the ghost of his kiss.
“Alex?”
I turn at the sound of my name and the question in his tone, looking at him through the doorway.
