Chapter 14%
That I was once again the woman who once stared at him like he was the center of the universe.X
He smiled more, touched my hand often, sent me flowers in the middle of the day with notes that said things like “thank you for forgiving me” or “I promise you’ll never regret this.“}
And I played my part–at first.)
But slowly, I began to change.
Just as he once did to me, I started to pull away.
I stopped answering his messages immediately. Left him on “read” until hours passed. Some days I left without telling him where I was going. Other times I made up excuses about feeling tired, just so I could disappear for the rest of the day.
And the best part?
He never questioned me
Because he was terified.
He thought silence meant I
pushing me away
was silen
slipping again–back into that hollow version of myself who almost jumped. And he wouldn’t dare risk
What he didn’t know. was that I was already gone.
But one day, he cracked.
It was a late aftemoon, and I had just returned from seeing Jackson–another “solo walk” I claimed I needed to clear my head. Cameron was in the living room, pacing like a caged animal, phone clutched in one hand, a half–empty glass of whiskey in the other.
“Alicia,” he said, almost whispering. “Can I ask you something?”
I paused, arching a brow. “You just did.”
He flinched, then tried again. “Where do you go all the time?”
I shrugged. “Out”
“Out where?”
I turned away. “Does it matter?”
He moved closer, voice barely holding steady. “It does to me.”
I finally looked at him then. Hard. Cold
“I don’t care what matters to you?
The silence between us stretched tight
He didn’t yell
He didn’t accuse
He just stood there broken.
His eyes dropped. His voice smaller than I’d ever heard it.
“I just… I don’t want to lose you again.”}
I said nothing.E
He reached out, hesitated, and then let his hand fall
“Even if you don’t want to talk to me,” he said, voice cracking. “I’ll wait. Just don’t disappear. Please.”
I walked past him without a word.
And he didn’t stop me.!!
Because he still believed he had something to save.
But I wasn’t a damsel anymore.
I was the storm he invited in–8
And I wasn’t done yet 8
Every time I disappeared, I was with Jackson.
Our first few meetings were strategic–coffee shops, bookstores, park benches. Just enough closeness for gossip if the right eyes were watching. But over time, it became more than strategy
I became peace.
Jackson made things easy. He didn’t force conversations. He didn’t try to pry open my wounds. He just listened. He told jokes at the right time. Got quiet when I needed silence. And when I was anxious, he simply sat closer, not touching, but near enough for me to
breathe easier.
We went to little places–a food truck spot that served tacos at midnight, a museum that smelled like old pages and rain, a beach at the edge of the city where he skipped stones across the water and dared me to try.
He called me “A” sometimes. Said it was because I looked like the beginning of something.
I never knew how to respond to that!!
But I remembered it, every
ry time!
11:28 AM G
But 1 remembered it, every time.
And as the days blurred into weeks, and the weeks became two months, I realized something had changed.
The revenge was still alive in me, yes–but something else was growing alongside it
Something warmer. Quieter.
Something that looked an awful lot like trust.}
It was a Friday evening when Jackson told me he wanted to show me something.
h
We’d driven out to a hillside just outside the city–a quiet, private place where the sky stretched open without limits. He laid out a blanket on the grass, pulled out a small speaker that played soft music, and handed me a jacket when the wind picked up.
“Stay here,” he said with a wink. “Don’t move,”
I rolled my eyes but did as he asked.§
Five minutes passed!
Then ten.
I was just about to call him a drama queen when-
Boom.
I looked up.
A burst of red exploded in the sky. Then gold. Then blue. Fireworks danced above me, lighting up the night in colors I hadn’t seen since was a girl.!!
I gasped.
More fireworks followed, timed perfectly with the song playing through the speaker–a slow instrumental piece that made the stars feel closer somehow.
I turned and saw him walking back toward me, hands in his pockets, smiling like
“Too much?” he asked.b
I shook my head slowly, tears stinging my eyes
“No,” I whispered. It’s perfect
He sat beside me, quiet for a moment, both of us looking up at the sky
Then he said softly, “You deserve good things, Alicia. Even if they come late.”
I turned to him.
He was already watching me.
Something inside me broke open
And I kissed him,
No hesitation
No pretending.
Just lips meeting lips, soft and real.
His hands didn’t grip. They cradled. Like he was afraid I might vanish again
And for the first time in years.. I didn’t want to run
ДП
idiot!
The fireworks continued overhead, loud and bright–but all I heard was the sound of my own heart, finally beating for something that wasn’t pain or revenge.
When we pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine.
“I know this started out as a plan,” he said. “But if you let me. I’d like it to be something else.“)
I looked at him, breathing slowly.
“I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I’ll wait.”
And somehow. I believed him.X
We sat in silence, the night wrapping around us like a secret only we understood.
And as the last firework faded into the sky. I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe-
This was the beginning of something more.
11:20 AM c ch
