Page 284 of No Need to Run

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No more chasing.

He needs to choose me.

Because we belong together.

“As much as I want to stay…” I continue, softer now, more careful, “I’ll give you some space.”

The word tastes wrong.

Bitter.

Unfamiliar.

It goes against everything I believe.

Everything I want.

Because the truth is, I need Drew more than he needs me.

Beneath the calm, always-in-control exterior is a woman desperate to be loved for who she is.

“Time for you to think about… things.” I let the sentence trail off.

I hate saying it.

I don’t like offering it.

But I do.

Because I know what it’s like to have something forced on you.

And I can’t do this to him.

Not like this.

I love him too much to stop him from leaving.

I look at him for a few minutes.

Long enough for hope to begin to fade. Wishing he’d say the words I desperately want to hear, but knowing he won’t.

Stay.

Don’t go.

We’ll figure it out.

Together.

He nods once. “Space… I think that’s for the best.”

The words land quietly. But they hit like glass shattering in a storm.

Something inside my chest tightens, sharp and sudden.

I’m not prepared for it.

I'd planned for rejection.

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