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Watching the storm brewing in his eyes, I wasn’t sure how much he had overheard or how he felt about that part of my past.
I didn’t give Clayton a chance to speak. I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him away. Just as the car pulled out, I heard Rusty shouting from behind.§
“Shannon! Think about everything we had. Please, just give me one more chance! Listen to me!“}
Before I could respond, Clayton’s face turned dark. He slammed down on the gas pedal and left Rusty in the dust.
Neither of us spoke the entire drive.
What usually took thirty minutes only took fifteen today.”
I knew Clayton wanted me to be open with him. But that relationship left behind too many moments where I was weak, desperate, and ashamed. How could I lay that bare?}]
Yes, I’d been avoiding him all this time, but I knew I was already falling for Clayton. That was exactly why I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing disappointment in his eyes.
The silence inside the car grew heavier, but neither of us moved to get out. His fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, and the veins in his hands were taut with restrained tension.}
Then he finally asked, his voice hoarse and low, “Did you reach out to him? Are you thinking of getting back together?“>
blinked, stunned. Where had that idea come from?}]
Worried he was getting the wrong idea, I rushed to explain, “I don’t even know where he popped out from. And getting back together? That’s never going to happen. I have you now. Why would I even look at him? I’m not blind. Why would I toss away something good just to pick up trash?“}
It wasn’t until Clayton gently touched my hand that I realized what I had just said.
The embarrassment hit me hard. I couldn’t even lift my head to look at him. What I also didn’t realize was how the air between us had subtly changed and grown warmer.
When Clayton saw how red my ears were, he lit up like a kid spotting a weak point in a game. His instincts told him this was it, his best chance to close the gap between us.
He softened his voice, tucked away the amusement in his eyes, and leaned into the seat like a sulking puppy.”
“Shannon,” he said, almost in a whisper, “I thought you kept rejecting me because you still had feelings for Rusty. But if he doesn’t matter to you anymore, then why won’t you let me in? Is it me? Did I do something wrong? Just say the word, I’ll change.”
My heart sank. I turned toward him and started listing all the ways he’d been good to me, rambling without thinking.
But the more I spoke, the more his head dipped, and the more anxious I got. I clutched his sleeve tightly and openly explained, “Clayton, I care about you. That’s why I hesitate. I’m scared. Scared that once we’re together, you’ll start to regret it, that you’ll realize you only loved the girl I used to be, not the woman I’ve become.“)
As I spoke, my grip loosened and the words started to trail off. I felt myself shutting down.
But Clayton didn’t hesitate. He reached out and held my hand firmly.
“This isn’t your fault,” he said. “It’s mine. I didn’t give you enough reassurance That’s on me. Shannon, I’ve never let you down. Please, just give us a chance. Can you do that?”
Something in his gaze gave me strength I didn’t know I still had.§
Even as memories of the past made me spiral into self–doubt again, and my vision blurred, and my voice began to shake, I forced myself to speak.
“That’s enough,” I said, cutting myself off before I started crying.)
I gave a bitter little laugh, thinking maybe he couldn’t accept my past after all. Wanting to preserve what little pride I had left, I reached for the door handle to get out.
But before I could leave, he pulled me into his arms.
I struggled at first, but then I felt something wet fall on my cheek.
His tears.
They landed on my skin and directly on my heart.}
“I shouldn’t have waited for you to call me,” he murmured. “I should’ve come to you sooner. Maybe then you wouldn’t have had to go through all that pain.”
He wasn’t disgusted by my past. He was blaming himself.
Realizing that, something in me shifted. I turned my head and kissed him, right on the lips.
And just as quickly, before he could even react, I jumped out of the car and bolted back to the house.
My heart was racing, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like something broken might actually be whole again.
But that joy didn’t last long.
The next morning, I opened my phone and saw the comment section completely exploding.
