Chapter 2: The Girl Who Let Go

I stood up and left the room. Walked to the end of the hallway, just to get some air.

The hallway was quiet, dimly lit. I pressed my forehead to the cool window, breathing in the city night.

Why did I even come to this dinner, where I didn’t know a single person?

The question echoed in my mind, heavy and sharp. I wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I’d stayed home.

To see him push me away in such a roundabout way?

It felt like a cruel joke, one I’d played on myself.

“Tired?”

Behind me, a familiar voice.

It was the first time we’d spoken face-to-face in two years.

I turned, more composed than I’d expected. “I’m heading back.”

He pulled out a cigarette. “Fine, I’ll have Caleb take you back.”

He didn’t light it, just rolled it between his fingers—his nervous habit.

“I can go by myself.”

My voice was steady, but my hands shook.

“Are you trying to make me worry?”

He looked at me, eyes searching. I met his gaze, unflinching.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t you think that’s messed up?”

The words just slipped out. For once, I didn’t care.

He didn’t answer, just stared out the window at the city, the night softly falling over the bright lights.

The city glowed, rain turning the streets into rivers of gold. For a moment, we were just two people, lost in the same loneliness.

Back in the day, Autumn would drive his old pickup and take me home on countless evenings like this.

I could still remember the hum of the engine, the way the radio crackled between stations. It felt like another lifetime.

“Caleb’s a good fit for you.”

His words were flat, but his eyes betrayed something else—something I couldn’t name.

I turned to go.

I couldn’t stay, not after everything.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

His grip was gentle but firm. I froze, heart pounding.

To my left was the window, to my right, him.

The noise of the hallway faded away.

It was just us, suspended in a moment that felt both endless and impossibly brief.

“Let go,” I tried to pull free. “What are you doing? Don’t you like Savannah?”

I met his eyes, daring him to deny it.

“Yeah,” he said, totally open. “She’s gorgeous.”

He didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned closer. “You’ve gotten taller over the last two years, huh?”

He was talking nonsense, like none of this mattered.

I pushed him away.

I couldn’t take it—not now.

“She’s better than me in every way, Autumn.”

The words came out in a rush, raw and aching.

“Yeah, she is.” I looked up, holding back tears, and said firmly, “I don’t want to like you anymore, Autumn Sullivan.”

My voice didn’t shake. I was proud of that.

His eyes flickered, and he let go.

The moment stretched, then snapped. I stepped back, putting space between us.

“Really?” He smiled. “You can try, but I bet you can’t.”

His confidence was infuriating. I clenched my fists. No way. I was going to prove him wrong.

He knew I’d never accept Caleb.

That’s why he let everyone push us together.

His confidence came from all those years I’d liked him.

Having someone love him that openly, that sincerely, made him take my feelings for granted.

I was his childhood toy. Now that he had something new, he tossed me in a corner.

But he always assumed I’d wait for him there forever.

Not anymore.

I could feel the resolve settle in my bones, steady and sure.

“This meal was great.”