Page 19 of Let's Be Forever

Only I was feeding a delusion because I should’ve known. It was so cliché; rich athlete falls for his maid. I should have seen it coming.

Guys like that don’t fall for people like us, Anna. You are not part of his world. You just happened to be there. Convenient,she’d said.

It was harsh, so much so I didn’t care to reconcile my relationship with her. I refused to listen, told her she didn’t know him like I did. Jokes on me because I didn’t know him either.

“Anna, I really want to talk to you. Please,” he adds, approaching me.

I’m behind the counter, but I don’t move. I won’t be intimated this time. Disturbing as it is, I’ve played out this moment so many times in my head. It was awhat if,just in caseSylas showed up.

Despite how unbothered I want to appear, it hurts, seeing him stand there, faking the desperation, knowing he’s probably eager to see how miserable I am without him.

The tiniest whimper crawls up my tangled throat, the pain I’m struggling to conceal attempting to force its way out.

“Do you need help with anything?” I grind my molars hard as everything in me shrivels, the ache he left becoming too unbearable to hide. Casting my gaze to my watch, I narrow my eyes on the stupid long hand that moves excruciatingly slow, cursing it and myself for deciding I wanted to stay open. “There’re five minutes left until I have to close.”

Don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you sad. You will not break in front of him.

He breathes out a somber chuckle, pale green eyes desolate, but they brighten just a smidge as they shift to my arm where our matching tattoo is. I can’t help but do the same.

No! Stop. Don’t look.

“Yeah, I need help.”

My feet feel heavy with every step I take, and a bead of sweat runs down my spine. I shouldn’t have offered to help. I shouldn’t have done anything besides kick him out.

I leave just enough space between us; we can’t reach for each other, but he’s still close, tall, broad, and imposing. I get a whiff of his cologne, feel the heat of his body, and hate how my body reacts. Like it needs him. I’m disgusted with myself.

“What do you need help with?”

“What would you recommend?” he asks, and I feel his eyes on me, but I look ahead at the pastries.

“Everything,” I answer, my tone neutral.

I hear the smile in his voice. “Everything Everything.”

“Yup.” I fist my shaky hands at my side.

“Please look at?—”

“Do you need help or not?” I rush out. “You have four minutes left.”

“I have a big sweet tooth.”I know, I remember. And I hate that I do.“I could eat about anything. So, what would you recommend?”

I feel his eyes on me, but I don’t dare take a peek.For you to get out and never come back, I almost say, but I—no, why am I holding back? Why am I acting civil? Why am I standing here as if he didn’t screw me over?

“I can’t do this,” I snap, taking a few steps back, although no amount of space will be enough. “You need to get out. You need to leave and do what you did best all these years—never comeback. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want anything to do with you. Leave.”

Sadness washes over him and stays etched on his face. He looks so gutted, and it hits me again how well he’s faking it. I mean, of course he is; his mom is in the performance industry. I’m sure Sylas picked up a thing or two.

“Anna, I’ve missed you. Imissyou.” Desperation expels from his mouth, voice laced thick with hope. “I just wanted you to know. I need you to?—”

“No.” I cross my arms against my chest. “You don’t get to stand there andactlike that. You don’t get to come back andactlike you didn’t fuck me over. Like you didn’t—” I’m shaking with the need to say everything I always dreamed of saying, but I can’t. I physically can’t voice it. “No, Sylas. No. We are better without you. We don’t need you. We don’t want you here. So leave. Disappear like you did before. I promised I’d leave you alone and I meant that. We are so, and I meanso, much betterwithoutyou.”

He reels back. “We? Who’s we?”

I scoff a laugh. “Wow, so now you want to pretend?”

A deep furrow of confusion nestles on his face. His eyes search my own, and he stays silent as if waiting for me to clarify or delve into details.