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Jaylah slaps her son, and he grins, throwing his ar her cheek

My phone buzzes and I glance down I haven’t spoken to Ro I know I need to explain to him why, but I don’t honestly kno to do that without screwing up I told hi that happened, that I was okay with casual, but the truth is I always kneasn’t that kind of girl and I let it go anyway

The best thing for both of us, until he’s fully moved on, is to slow this back to friendship

R – Hey? You ok?

I exhale, and it’s shaky

M – Yeah, I’

R – About what?

M – All of this I think for right now it’s best if we just stay friends until you deal with your ex I feel like it ht cause problems and I really don’t want that I don’t want either of us to get hurt

A fewI stand and walk over to another shady tree, pressing ainst it My phone buzzes, and I practically drop it I e

R – If that’s what you want? But I do hat’s happening with us, I wasn’t lying about that I just don’t want tothe fun we have

M – I know that, but I don’t feel like it’s fully resolved, and until it is, I think we just stay friends and stop sleeping together Slow or not, that usually cos

A few more minutes pass, and my hands tremble

R – I’ve fucked up, haven’t I?

My heart clenches No No Of course he hasn’t fucked up This isn’t on hi to work better for us both in the long run if we slow it down and just recover first from our pasts Truthfully, I’m still cut up about Michael and what he did to ed, it’s still too soon

M – No, of course not I just have to be careful here I like you, a lot I don’t want to get hurt

R – I respect that I do have feelings for you, I hope you know that

He does?

I blink

I know he’s figured out I’ve started developing feelings for his for me, too All the more reason to pull the brakes on for now

M – I didn’t know that

R – Well I do, and I do knohat I have to do with her, it’s just hard But I do want to finish it so I can move on