S E V E N T Y

ARABELLA.

My heart pounds in my chest, and my hands won’t stop shaking, tears filling the corners of my eyes as I continue to gape at the name across my screen.

"Stop," I whisper to Dex before he drives out of his place without removing my eyes from the phone.

"Did you say something?" I hear him mutter beside me, and I give a small bob of my head, a tear dropping to my screen and rolling across the first two letters of his name. He’s calling me. He’s actually reaching out after weeks of no contact from him, and why am I just glaring at my phone, watching it buzz without hurriedly picking up the way I’ve always practiced?

"Arabella?" Dex calls at the same time the ringing ends, and I let out a shaky breath, swiping my hand across my cheek before I drop my phone in my hand and turn my head sideways to him. "I can’t leave with you," I state simply, my heart still racing so fast even after the call ended, and Dex raises his brow. "I thought we—"

I push my phone in his face without let