AT LOVE 24

AT LOVE 24

Chapter 24 

I couldn’t afford to get caught. If he saw me, it would be over. I’d have to explain myself, and I wasn’t sure I could come up with a good excuse

Then, just as I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, I saw him move. He glanced around, his eyes scanning the hallway. I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t look in my direction. He didn’t. He didn’t see me. After a long, agonizing moment, he turned back around and continued walking down the hallway

I exhaled in relief, my heart still racing in my chest. I waited for what felt like an eternity, watching the space where he had been, making sure he wasn’t coming back. When I was certain it was safe, I pushed myself off the wall and began moving again, this time even more discreetly. I kept my steps light, my eyes locked on the back of his figure as he moved ahead

But then, as I rounded the next corner, everything came crashing down

I stopped dead in my tracks

There, standing at the corner, staring directly at me, was Kyle

1 froze. Literally froze. It was like time stopped, and I was caught in the headlights of Kyle

For a moment, I was just standing there, staring at him, probably looking like a deer who’d accidentally wandered into a lion’s den. I had no plan. No clever Jexcuse. Nothing

Finally, my brain kicked into gearbarely

Hi, KyleI said, wincing at how awkward it sounded, but I wasn’t about to turn and sprint down the hallway like a complete lunatic. Well, I was already a lunatic for following him this far, so what’s one more awkward moment

I was justuhI fumbled, my mind racing. What the hell am I even saying

I wanted to thank you for last night,I blurted

Wow, that was smooth. Good job, Ashley

Kyle’s gaze remained steady

Uh,I continued, trying to recover, you know, for driving me home, and for the, uh, tea.Yeah, that sounded better, right? Totally. The herbalhangover…. 

tea?” 

I cleared my throat, mentally kicking myself. This was why I shouldn’t be here. Why I shouldn’t have followed him. Why I should’ve stayed in the waiting room with Violet and pretending nothing was going on

But here I was. Trying to cover up a ridiculous situation with more ridiculous words

He finally spoke, his voice low

Are you following me?” 

Shit

Not following!I said a little too quickly. I justwanted to thank you. I saw you come out of the car and figured this was the right moment to say thank you, and yeah” 

God, I was rambling

Kyle’s gaze stayed on me and I felt the weight of it in my chest. Then, he asked, his tone slightly more pointed

So, you’ve been following him from the park?” 

Iblinked, thrown off by the question, and nodded, Yeah, I guess so.” 

There was a brief pause before he asked, Oh. So, how are you feeling now?” 

I exhaled sharply, the tension in my chest easing just a little. Better now,I replied

The silence between us stretched, thick and awkward

1/2 

Chapter 24 

I de su es 

Then, without thinking, 1 blurted out, What are you doing here?” 

The question slipped from my mouth before I could stop it, and I immediately regretted it. What business is it of mine? But at that point, I had already followed him this far, so I figured I might as well know why I was trailing him like a creep

Kyle’s jaw tightened as if he was debating whether or not to answer. For a moment, I thought he might just walk away without saying another word. But then he did speak, his voice guarded

Therapy,he said simply

Therapy

The word hit me harder than I expected, like a punch to the gut. Kyle? Therapy? What could be wrong? What had happened to him 

As much as I hated himeverything he’d done, everything he’d put me throughthere was a small, unexpected wave of pity that washed over me. But I quickly shut that down. There was no connection between us anymore. No reason for me to care and I wasn’t about to ask him what kind of therapy, or why, or what had led him here

Oh, I see,I murmured, nodding even though I wasn’t entirely sure I did. I should probably leave now.” 

I turned away before he could say anything else, before he could look at me with that infuriatingly calm expression that made me question everything I thought I knew about him

So I walked away, each step feeling heavier than the last, the awkwardness of the moment following me like a shadow

What the hell was I even doing

AT LOVE

AT LOVE

Status: Ongoing

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