She shakes her head and walks away from me.
What the hell? “You’re the one who walked away without letting me explain. And I was going to tell you after tonight. I just wanted to show you…Wait, Hailey!”
But she grabs her small suitcase and her purse and steps out of my apartment and my life, again.
No fucking way. Not letting her go this time, not without making sure I know what’s going on in her pretty little head. Looks like I met my match: a girl with trust issues as fucking big as mine.
Getting to my feet takes a long moment, and I lean against the table until the room steadies. Then I start after her, and discover that the elevator is out of order.
I glance at the flights of stairs and cold sweat breaks over my forehead. No way…
Jesus Christ, I really must’ve fucked up badly in a past life…
Chapter Eighteen
Hailey
He remembers.
And he’s pissed off with me.
Of course he is. I screwed up big time, and didn’t even tell him I know now who the girl who was sending him the messages was. That I know it wasn’t his fault and that I’m sorry for judging him so quickly and so harshly.
Especially after he confessed why he has trust issues.
He let me in all the way – into his apartment, into his life, into his secrets, and I didn’t even manage to apologize. He just looked so…disappointed. And angry.
Was he really going to tell me he remembered it all after tonight? Why did he wait?
I don’t understand.
I scramble down the stairs and step out into the cool evening air. With shaking hands, I call up the app on my cell phone and get an Uber. Hopefully my hotel still has rooms.
And then I need to get a flight back to Chicago.
I knew this was a bad idea.
For once, I was right.
My phone dings with yet another message from Trent as I wait by the side of the street, and yeah, I’m changing numbers the moment I get back home.
Home. Being with Kaden had felt like home these past few days, much more than Chicago ever did.
And I need to stop thinking about that, because…
Because I’m pretty sure my heart is crumbling into fine powder. It’s not him I don’t trust, you see.
It’s myself. If I can screw up a good thing like that, how will I ever find happiness? Why would I deserve it?
The Uber arrives. With one last glance behind me, in case Kaden came after me, I climb inside and give the driver the hotel address.
He didn’t come after me.
Then again, he’s concussed, and that’s a lot of stairs.
Still.
Right?