47

“Because I couldn’t.” Dane's words are breathy, and he pushes off the bar and paces forward, so his back faces me. He stops a little away at the opposite leg and sags. “When my mom told me we were going to the UK, I thought this was it…. I could end this, whatever this is, and we could forget each other. Put the mess of our parents, all that shit, and my feelings for you aside. A lot of space and time between us, and it would fade away. We could move on, and I would have an excuse not to come back anymore.”

I pause, staring at his tall, muscular form, watching him tense up, and listen intently to the hoarseness developing in his words with every sentence. Killing me with his presence and the topic of this conversation as though we’re merely chatting about the weather. And not our hearts.

“But she made you stay….” thus further ruining his life. Making him push harder and colder so I would stop bothering him. Progressively getting wilder and dating more girls as he went. I wonder if tha