Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55832 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“The problem is she said she doesn’t have feelings for me. She said she can’t stand me. So obviously whatever the fuck it is that I’m feeling is completely one-sided.”
I take a pull of my beer and beg it to help the pain that has consumed me.
“She said that to you?”
“She yelled it at Lake. I was just lucky enough to be there to hear it.”
“You need to talk to her,” he says, sipping his beer.
“And say what? She doesn’t feel the same. I can’t force her. I can’t make her feel something she doesn’t.”
We stand in silence for a few minutes. Paxton lifts his beer toward Hartford and she smiles, blowing him a kiss. Talk about rubbing salt in someone’s wounds.
“Miscommunication will fuck up everything. Look at Anya and Griffin. If he would’ve told her that Callum made him promise to stay away from her, they could’ve fixed that shit sooner and avoided hiding their relationship. Or look at Shepherd and Felicity. If they were both honest with each other about how they felt, it wouldn’t have taken so long for them to find their happiness.” He turns his attention to Hartford and smiles. “Look at me and Hartford. If I wasn’t so scared of ruining our friendship, this wedding would’ve taken place a long time ago.” He looks back at me and squeezes my shoulder. “She might feel the same and is scared to admit it, but you’ll never know unless you talk to her. Tell her how you feel. Fight for her. Girls love that shit.”
He’s right. They all had a long road to get where they are, but that’s their journey. We aren’t all the same. Each relationship has its own unique path and challenges.
“And if she doesn’t feel the same?” I ask, my voice tinged with the fear that’s been gnawing at me. The thought of unrequited love terrifies me, and I’m desperate to know the truth, even if it hurts.
“She feels the same,” Anya says, stepping up closer and wrapping her arms around me in a comforting embrace.
“What?” Paxton and I say in unison, both of us caught off guard by her certainty.
“You’re worried she doesn’t feel the same, but she does,” Anya reassures me, her voice steady and confident.
My head is spinning, and I’m not sure if it’s because of what Anya just said or all the shots of alcohol I’ve had. Can it be true? Is there really hope for us?
“She told you that?” I ask, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Not exactly,” Anya admits, her eyes meeting mine with a serious expression. “But she thinks you’ve been acting this entire time. She thinks you still view her as your enemy. She’s hurting and confused. You need to talk to her, Brock. Tell her how you feel.”
The weight of her words settles over me, and I feel a mixture of relief and anxiety. Willow thinks I’ve been pretending that I still see her as my adversary. The realization that she’s been hurting and confused because of me is like a punch to the gut.
I look at Anya, her eyes filled with sincerity. “You really think she feels the same?”
“I know she does,” Anya says softly. “But she needs to hear it from you. She needs to know that what you feel is real.”
The room around me seems to fade away, and all I can focus on is the enormity of what Anya is saying. This is my chance to make things right, to be honest about my feelings and show Willow that what we have is genuine.
“So man up and go talk to her,” Paxton says, slapping his hand down on my shoulder.
“She changed her flight for tonight, so you’ll need to hurry up,” Anya says.
“What? She’s leaving?”
“Yes, so go,” she says, shoving me away from the bar.
I run out of there determined to find out the truth. My heart races in my chest, which is crazy but maybe it means it’s piecing itself back together. Maybe, just maybe, Willow really does feel the same and she is just scared to admit it.
I slam on the elevator button. “Come on,” I whisper, watching it slowly come down from the top floor. The door finally opens and I rush inside, hitting the button to take me to our room. Our room. The room where we discovered each other in ways no one else ever has. The room where we laughed together, held each other, and fell in love.
When the door opens I race toward our room and pull out my keycard, putting it in with my pulse racing. I open the door with a smile threatening to take over my face, when suddenly I stop in my tracks.
She’s gone.
It’s empty.
Just like my heart.
Chapter 29
Willow
“What did he say?” my older brother Kai asks, his voice edged with concern.