Chapter 17

17

T hree days had passed since Piper had returned from Los Angeles, and in those three days, she hadn't seen Audrey. Not properly, anyway. She'd caught glimpses of Audrey's truck coming and going, so she knew she was okay, but Piper couldn't understand how they kept missing each other. Unless, Audrey was avoiding her purposely.

Last night, Piper had gone next door, her heart pounding in her chest as she knocked on Audrey's door, but no one had answered.

Now Piper was restless, and she couldn't stand this uncertainty anymore. She needed to see Audrey, to talk to her, to understand why she was avoiding her, if that was what was happening. She could see the faint glow of lights from the windows, and Piper grabbed her keys, locking her door behind her.

She made the short walk over to Audrey's and knocked on her door for the second night in a row. This time though, the door opened, and there she was. Audrey stood in the doorway, her black hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, her green eyes meeting Piper's gaze. But there was something different about her. She looked tired, the lines around her eyes more pronounced than Piper remembered. And her smile, though warm, didn't reach her eyes.

"Piper," Audrey said, her voice soft. "Come in."

Piper hesitated for a moment, sensing the subtle shift in Audrey's demeanor. Something was definitely off, but what could have happened in the few days she was gone? She stepped inside, following Audrey through the house and out onto the deck which was bathed in the soft glow of string lights. The gentle sounds of the ocean rolling in filled the silence that had fallen between them.

Audrey gestured to one of the chairs, and Piper sat down, her eyes never leaving Audrey's face. She wanted to reach out, to take Audrey's hand, to pull her into a hug, but Audrey's body language was closed off, her arms crossed over her chest, her shoulders tense.

"Is everything okay?" Piper asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Audrey took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "Piper, we need to talk."

Piper's heart sank. Those were not the words she wanted to hear. She braced herself, her hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly. "What is it?"

"These past few days, while you were gone, I had a lot of time to think," she began. "About us, about what we're doing, about where this is going."

Piper listened, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to interrupt, to tell Audrey that she knew what she wanted, that she wanted her. But she bit her tongue, letting Audrey continue.

"I realized how unrealistic it was to think that we could actually work," Audrey said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Our lives are so different, Piper. I was here with Lisa, having dinner, and she showed me photos from the event, and I just couldn't put the two together. The version of you that I know and the version of you who was standing beside Evelyn Coleman on the red carpet, and it just brought me right back. I can't make the same mistake twice."

Piper's stomach churned. She really didn't want to be compared to Audrey's ex-wife, but she didn't have much of an argument. Yes, she was standing beside Evelyn Coleman, posing for photos on the red carpet before they'd spoken on a panel together. That was her life.

"I'm sorry, Piper," Audrey said, and it looked like she was blinking back tears. "I don't regret what happened between us, but I shouldn't have let it happen. I can't forget about my past, as much as I want to."

Piper shook her head. How was this happening? This was the exact opposite of the conversation she wanted to have with Audrey. She opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, to defend them, but she exhaled instead. That's what happened the night of the storm. Piper could have listened to Audrey, tried to understand her fears, but instead, she'd given into the attraction, into the desire, and now she was here, getting her heart broken.

"I don't really think there's much I can say," Piper started, running her hand through her hair before she pushed herself off the chair. "At least, I know that you've put a lot of thought into this."

"I have." Audrey pressed her lips together as she looked up at her, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. "And it wasn't an easy decision to make."

Piper bit the inside of her cheek, willing herself not to let any tears fall. "I guess, I should show myself out." She inhaled a deep breath, not knowing what to do with herself. She wanted to hug Audrey, to say goodbye properly, but she couldn't. She'd definitely start crying then. "Goodnight, Audrey."

She made her way down the deck steps without looking back, sliding her feet out of her sandals when she hit the cool sand. She walked in a bit of a daze, following the shoreline, not wanting to go home just yet.

The beach stretched out before her lit up by the nearly full moon. Piper kept walking, her footsteps leaving a trail in the sand. At some point, she stopped and looked out at the ocean. She thought of Evelyn and the advice she'd given her, and she remembered how they'd spent months and months apart before they finally figured out a way to make it work.

But Piper wanted to respect Audrey's decision, and that meant walking away, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.