27
Weston
Icouldn’t sleep.
Nora’s words rang through my mind. I’d totally fucked it up. Utterly and completely. There was nothing I could say to fix it. I couldn’t tell her I loved her. She wouldn’t go, and I couldn’t stay. Long-distance was never going to work. There was no compromise here. There was only the end, like we’d planned from the start.
After tossing and turning all night, I packed my suitcases, picking my closet clean. Without Nora here, I’d have to figure out what to do with the place. Whitt would probably look over it until I could decide.
Two knocks came from the front door, and then it opened.
“Knock, knock,” Whitt said.
I’d asked him this morning if he’d drive me to the airport. He’d texted back, asking why Nora wasn’t doing it. I hadn’t been able to tell him the truth and just said she was busy.
“Wow, you look like shit,” Whitt said with a laugh. “Too much partying last night?”
I ran a hand along the back of my head. “Nora and I…fuck, I don’t know what you’d call it. We got into a huge fight, and she left.”
“She left the house?” He arched an eyebrow.
I nodded. “I guess we broke up.”
Whitt crossed his arms, but he didn’t look surprised. “Because you’re leaving?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm,” Whitt said. He reached for one of my suitcases. “All right.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don’t you usually know?”
Yeah, he was right. I sighed. “You think it’s for the better.”
“Isn’t that why you did it?”
I ran my hands down my face. “I don’t even know anymore.”
Whitt put a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I like Nora. I like you with Nora. You seemed steady. She seemed happy. But how would it even work? You’re going to be a thousand miles away. And then on tour for most of the year. That’s not even possible.”
“That’s what I said to her.”
Still, it felt like every inhalation was glass in my lungs.
Whitt patted me twice. “You know it was the right thing to do.”
I followed him out to his car with the other suitcase. We loaded them up and headed back inside for the rest of my stuff and a stiff cup of coffee. Once we got in the car, I felt pulled toward Nora. She was at her dad’s. She was probably so pissed at me. Fuck. I hated leaving things like this.
“I feel like I should still talk to her one more time,” I told Whitt. “She was so angry when she left.”
“Oh no, you don’t. That is a bad idea.”
“What? Why?”
Whitt shot me an incredulous look. “Do you really not know? You just broke up with her.”
“I know, but not because I don’t care.”
“Does that change anything? Are you going to take her back?”
“No,” I told him.
“No. So, what will your presence do?”
I slumped in my seat. “Nothing. It’ll hurt her worse.”
“Exactly. You’re making the right choice. It doesn’t feel good right now, but wait until you’re in LA, playing with the band. This is what you wanted. What you struggled for. It’ll get better.”
He was right. I knew he was right. And still, it didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t deserve to feel any better. We’d agreed that this was what we’d do. We’d agreed. And I’d been the idiot for thinking that would matter.