Page 295 of No Need to Run

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“I’m on my way,” he cuts in. “See you soon.”

The line goes dead.

I stare at my phone for a second before setting it down.

“Great,” I mutter. “Now I have to explain this out loud.”

Luna chirps.

“Still not helpful.”

Thirty minutes later,there’s a knock on the door.

And for one ridiculous second, my heart races and my pulse spikes.

Until I look out the window and see Sebastian’s car.

It’s not her.

I open it.

Sebastian takes one look at me and doesn’t say anything.

That’s how I know it’s bad.

He steps inside. “You look like you got hit by a truck.”

“Feels about right.”

He nods once, then gestures toward the living room. “Let’s talk.”

I sit on the couch.

He doesn’t.

Just stands there, arms crossed, waiting.

So I tell him everything.

He doesn’t interrupt. Doesn’t joke. Doesn’t react the way I expect him to.

He just… listens.

When I finish, the silence feels heavier than before.

“Well?” I ask.

He studies me for a second. “I think you’re scared.”

I let out a short laugh. “No shit.”

He doesn’t smile. “Not of her.”

That shuts me up.

I frown. “Then what?”

“Of this,” he says, gesturing toward the curtains. “Of what you feel.”

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