Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Mason

The last two weeks have been the worst weeks of my life.

Wrong. It's been the past month. I blame it on my mother.

She pointed out the obvious. I had a serious relationship.

I am in love with Ainsley.

I denied it because if she was right… there's a risk of losing Nine forever. I can't fucking lose her. Isn't it ironic that I pushed her away?

Fucking fear.

I hate it, just as much as I hate myself. Missing her has fucked me up so much that I had to leave a mission—I was making mistakes. It took me two days to fly back to Seattle. I have to get to her. We have to fix what I broke.

I run a few red lights on my way to the music school.

Maybe I can talk to her, come to some sort of an agreement. I miss her. I miss the sound of her soft breaths and her body pressing against mine as I hold her at night.

My heart misses her.

I miss her madness and her smiles.

I miss her scent.

I miss those days when all she does is play while her heart bleeds emotions.

I miss her flaws and her kisses.

It's time to go to her and admit that I fucked this up.

She has to give me a chance. A chance to tell her that she is my home, my heart, my memories, and the one person I can't live without. I don't know how to win her back after shattering her heart into little fucking pieces.

She didn't crumble.

She fought back, and one thing is for sure: I'm the one who hurt the most. Nine doesn't need anyone to pick her up. She can hold herself and continue with her life.

As I wait for her to come out of the school, I watch the recording studio across the street. I wonder if she may be over there, but I stay put, fixing my jacket and trying to shelter myself from the pouring rain.

A couple steps out of the school, holding a large black umbrella that protects them from the rain. I chide myself for not bringing something to offer her, except my good intentions.

My heart drops to the floor when I take a second glance at the couple, and I recognize those brown curls and that silhouette. I know every curve, movement, angle, and line of that beautiful body.

My Nine.

This might be a mistake, I lecture myself. If I follow them, I'll learn he's just a college kid walking her to her car because she always loses her umbrella. Two blocks and gallons of rain later bring me to the coffee house Nine likes to visit often. The man opens the door for her, closes the umbrella, and follows her inside. Ainse whispers something in his ear and after sharing an intimate smile, she moves to take a seat at her usual corner booth.

The guy goes to the counter, orders, and pays for their shit. Feeling my world crumble, I continue staring as he waits for the drinks, takes them to where she is, and they share a few laughs while sipping from their ceramic cups. The intimate exchange of him wiping the foamy milk from her top lip, her touching his forearm as she laughs, crushes me.

She moved on with her life.

She promised she wouldn't wait around. It's clear as water that I lost her.

My heart is telling me to fight… to walk right in and show her that she's mine.

I don't do it.

For all I know, this guy might be that ‘happily ever after' she wants. I order myself to move from the big window and to stop staring at her. At that moment, she freezes. Her neck turns slightly, and her eyes narrow when she spots me. She shakes her head and goes back to the new guy.