For Her (The Girl I Loved Duet 1)

Peter came back after ten years, and even though I destroyed him, he still said that he loved me and wanted to be with me. Even though I hated him for years, he didn’t care. He unequivocally said he wanted me and didn’t care about what I’d done. And he thought I’d forgiven him.

I have forgiven him.

And the minute something came up that’s scary, I lost my shit and tried to end things. I made it seem like I couldn’t trust him. Like he was going to ruin everything because he’s not smart enough to know when things are going to affect someone else. That he would make the same mistakes as a scared eighteen-year-old in love.

I would have walked out too. I probably would have done it faster and with a lot more yelling. I wouldn’t have blamed him in the least if he’d slammed my door so hard that it cracked the walls.

Looking over at the kitchen, I see the flowers that he gave me. Lilies. He remembered that I love lilies more than any other flower. Not only that, but got my favorite variety: A delicate pink that’s always reminded me of everything that’s perfect in the world.

It’s only been a couple of minutes; he’s probably still there. If I can stop him, maybe I can take it all back. Maybe I can tell him that I panicked and I love him and I’m sorry. Maybe it’s too late. But I won’t know unless I try.

I spring off the couch and toward the door. It feels like I can’t move fast enough. There’s a part of me that expects him to be behind the door, that he’ll somehow know that I wasn’t in my right mind and didn’t mean it. But he’s not there.

I don’t see him anywhere in the hallway either.

Shit. I start to run because I have to see him. I have to stop him, tell him that I love him. I just got him back and I didn’t tell him that I love him.

I love him.

I reach the stairwell, and he’s not there. I don’t hear footsteps either. I start going down, hoping that I can catch him at the garage, but I freeze in my tracks.

On the landing of the stairs is a bundle of paper. And anyone in this city would be able to recognize it as a script. But very few people would be able to recognize it as a script for Undercover. The new script that he tried to talk to me about. That he was excited about.

It’s tossed on the ground like garbage, and I suddenly can’t breathe. No. This can’t be happening.

I pick up the script, and even though I don’t want to believe it, it’s true. This is Peter’s script. His name is right there. Peter Holleman. And he threw it away. Just like I threw him away. Like I threw us away.

I slide down the wall of the landing, because I can’t stand up anymore.

And I cry.

TO BE CONTINUED…