Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

MACY

" G et my lawyer on the phone!" Saundra shouts, to no one in particular after Wood is hauled away in a car. "You!" She points at Zayne. "Did you get that on camera?"

"I livestreamed it. Ten thousand people have already seen it. The likes are blowing up. It's amazing. Bonkers. Absolutely wild," he says, not even glancing up from his phone, eyes lit up.

"Good. I want to press charges for assault."

I had a feeling she was going to say that.

In all the chaos, Walter brings over a first aid kit. I thank him and tell him I've got it.

Calmly, I clean up Spencer's face. I don't think his nose is broken, but it is starting to swell quite nicely.

"You really are a good nurse, Macy. I don't think I told you that enough," Spencer says, reaching for me.

I move my hand out of his reach. He never once told me that. "Thank you."

"This is a heck of a way to get back together, yeah? I missed you," he says with a little chuckle, then grimaces.

He's in pain.

Good.

"We're not getting back together," I say, flatly.

"Didn't you read my letter?"

"No."

His mouth turns down at the corners. "Well, to summarize—I said it much better in the note, by the way—I think we should get back together. I admit, seeing you here with Wood helped me realize I was too hasty when I let you go. I'm even willing to revisit getting married sooner than later."

"No. No, absolutely not. I don't want to get back together. The only thing I want from you is to not press charges against Wood."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because his family has just as much if not more money than yours. It won't make your face unpunched. All it will do is waste time and make me hate you."

"Hate me? I know you could never hate me. Now, about getting back together, I'll forgive and forget everything. I just need you to be reasonable?—"

"I'm being perfectly reasonable. You're not fucking listening to me."

Spencer stands up, clenching his jaw. "I see he's rubbed off on you. You know I don't like foul language. It's unbecoming of you. Unladylike and unattractive."

"You don't get it. I don't care what you think anymore, nor do I give a fuck if you find me attractive."

He still doesn't get it. I could yell at him until my voice is hoarse and he never will.

I'm not going to waste another second on him.

I'm done.

Staff has made quick work of packing up Wood's things, already carrying his bags down the stairs as I'm walking up.

In the room, I pack my things as hurriedly as I can. Anxious to get out of here. Anxious to get back to the city. Anxious—just plain anxious.

I have to go back to Wood's place. I don't have anywhere else to go, and it's where all my stuff is.

It will also be the first time we'll be around each other not under the guise of this false relationship, and I don't know how it's going to go.

My phone buzzes and my heart leaps, hoping that it's him.

It's Bex.

Bex:

hey, I'm sorry about all of this

can you let everyone know I'm safe? I just need a little time away to think

and will you let Jake know again that I'm so sorry? I just can't right now

I'll explain later

I reply that I will tell him and that I'm glad she's safe and I love her, but she doesn't respond.

Guess I need to find Jake before I leave.

I've been standing outside Wood's apartment door for ten minutes. Hyping myself up. Getting in my head.

This is it.

I get out my key.

It's unlocked.

I open the door.

Wood's sitting at the kitchen island. Alone.

He looks up when I enter the apartment. In a flash, his eyes brighten and the dimple appears in his cheek before returning to a more neutral expression—so quickly that it feels like I made it up. Maybe I want him to be happy to see me so badly, my mind is playing tricks on me, gaslighting myself.

"Hey," he says, standing and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Hi."

Neither of us say anything for a beat. Two. Three.

The silence hangs between us like a living, breathing thing.

I don't know where to start. Part of me hopes he'll go first.

I start to say something but stop.

Maybe I'm being dumb. Maybe I imagined everything. I'm feeling feelings, but what if he's not? What if I make a fool of myself?

Standing here looking at him, gorgeous. Perfect. What would he see in me? Why did I ever think he might like me ?

"I'm sorry," he says, taking a step toward me. "I shouldn't have punched Spencer. It was immature and stupid. It wasn't like me, and I shouldn't have done it."

"It was scary, and you shouldn't have," I agree.

He looks to his feet, nodding.

"But he deserved it."

Wood looks up, hands still in his pockets. "He did."

"And I…didn't hate it." A smile pulls at the edges of my lips.

He returns my smile with a grin of his own. It disappears again. "So… Are you getting back together with him, then?"

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

His eyes meet mine. "I saw the letter he wrote you. And then the way you stayed back with him…"

"Oh. I—no, it wasn't like that."

"Oh, okay."

Silence again.

I want to ask him if I can stay. But I don't want to stay in the loft. I want to stay with him. In his bed. Indefinitely.

But I don't know how to say the words. Afraid I'll be rejected. Scared I'll sound desperate. Or like I'm begging.

I've spent the last two, maybe three years, begging for a man to love me. Trying so hard to be exactly what he wanted. To be enough.

I won't ask for scraps anymore.

I clear my throat. "Jake is going on his and Bex's honeymoon, alone, to Hawaii for two weeks. He said I could stay at his apartment while I look for a place. So I don't have to be in your hair anymore."

I smile and try to play it off casually. But inside, I want him to tell me I was never in his hair. No, that he wants me in his hair.

That he'll ask me to say. Beg me to stay.

He doesn't.

He nods.

Oh.

"I'll help you get your stuff," he says.

"That's all right. It's not very much. I can manage it on my own."

I expect him to protest. To say that he knows I can do it but insist on helping me anyway. My chest tightens with how much I wish he would.

But he doesn't. He just says, "Okay."

We stand here, him in the kitchen, me two steps inside the door, for another beat, staring at each other. Then I walk past him to go up to the loft, and he lets me.

He lets me go like he's completely fine with this scenario. Like this last week really didn't mean anything to him. That all the feelings were just as fake as our relationship—at least, on his part.

So, I go up the stairs and pack up the rest of my things.

And then with a curt goodbye, Wood holds the door open for me as I leave his apartment.