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And he had He’d always been there to talk about Ben, never treated oing Everything I’d needed, and everything I’d pushed away

"I’," I whispered a minute later

He exhaled slowly, and when he spoke, there was a hint of the pain he’d been in since I’d left "I never should have told you"

"Why?" I looked at hiain, and when he still wouldn’t look at me, I reached out for him

"Because you ran away froh me, and one But I get it, Grey, I swear to God I do I understand why that upset you, why you aren’t okay with it I thought--I thought if I gave you tih time had passed, and I don’t knohat I would’ve said toyou co how much better you look now that I’ you go back to how you were I can’t do it now"

"Jagger" The plea in that one as clear, but in thatof hi so hard to not let anyone else touch my heart? To know that I needed him more than he realizedmore than even I had realized?

"I just needed you to know that I understand, Grey"

Before I could ask what he understood, he turned around and walked away from me In our short conversation, he’d never once looked atof me, and I listened as his heavy footfalls drifted away I could feel each step like it was another nail in the coffin ofer andfor another allery, then that would be it We could never go back to the e had been, because we couldn’t go back to being as close as ere now that I kne he felt I couldn’t do that to hiive him hope that there would someday be an us when I knew that I would never allow it He would eventually find so

But if I stopped hie in a way everyone had already been expecting theer wanted theht shookso hard to deny I wanted this I wanted hiallery He enty feet away froer," I said louder when he began walking again

He glanced over his shoulder for a second, before pausing and turning to face me His face went blank in an attempt toa little easier than the last--as ifwith every step closer He didn’twhen I stopped directly in front of hi

"I’m sorry that I ran," I whispered, and aon it "I was scared, and I think I still am But I’m not better without you It hurts to be away froed "Seattle? I needed to think about what you said, what my family saidI just needed to think I can think here with Janie, but that doesn’t estured toward ht Janie and Heather did this because they thought I would see you II would’ve stayed gone, but pleasedon’t stay away fro a step forward, I leaned into his chest as I had done so ht--this here I needed to be now His arhed against his chest

"I’m scared"

"Why? If you’re scared to lose me, you won’t I’ll always be here for you" His voice was low, and the way it ru so fa this?

"Not that I justI don’t kno to let hten againstmy head to look at him, I paused when I found his face inches from mine--closer than it had ever been I letabout hireen eyes that see nose leading down to full lips that were usually in a playful saze was on the deepened, his chest ain, his eyes were dark ant

"Loving you scareser"

"Excuse me" A voice called out from next to us, but neither of us moved until I was tapped on the shoulder I turned and took a step away fro there Her pondering expression turned excited when I was facing her "It is you"

"I’m sorry?"