Collide (Collide #1)(98)

Pressing his lips into a hard line, Dillon nodded tightly. "Alright, I'll give you the time you need."

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, more tears spilling down her cheeks.

He shook his head and gently wiped the tears from her face. "I'm not mad at you, Emily. Shocked and confused, yes, but not mad."

Dillon pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, her body shaking against his as she sobbed a little more. She didn't want to face his parents - particularly his mother - nor did she want to walk back through the restaurant. The embarrassment of it all was simply too overwhelming for her. Somehow feeling her anxiety, Dillon handed her a ticket for the valet and walked her to an exit on the side of the building.

Stepping out into a small alley, she reluctantly turned back to face him. Holding her gaze, Dillon hesitated a moment before heading back into the restaurant to retrieve her purse. His eyes held a sadness that Emily knew she had caused, and his once confident shoulders hung low. The man she had come to know as a self-assured soul lost something on this particular Sunday afternoon in late August. Her heart sank further than she could've ever imagined. The pain-stricken look in his eyes would forever be embedded in her memory. As he closed the door behind him, Emily's palms felt slick with sweat, her eyes rimmed pink from crying, and her body ached with a deep sadness of its own.

A few days...I just need a few days, and then I'll let him know...




The words read simple; the design elegantly understated. Gavin's office was completely silent, except for the steady, rhythmic rapping sound that echoed while he tapped the letter-pressed card on the surface of his desk again and again. He had lost count of the amount of times he'd glanced at it throughout the day.

Before us lies the open road...a future filled with timeless love...

Please join us as we

Emily M. Cooper & Dillon R. Parker

Celebrate Our Engagement

Saturday, the Twenty-Third of September

Two thousand and twelve

Six o'clock in the evening

The Diamond Room

30 West Fifty-Ninth Street

Hosted by Joan and Henry Parker

RSVP 212-981-1275 by September Fifteenth

The sound of the invitation being tapped restlessly against Gavin's desk wasn't the only sound that hung in the room. However, unless someone was standing close enough to him, they might not have been able to hear them. The sounds - yeah, those would be his annihilation of his heart and shallow breathing. Gavin was in no way surprised, but this was proof that she was going through with it.

Gavin heard the news a few days prior when his phone rang. Dillon's voice had been thrilled on the other end while he announced his engagement, his words sucking the hope, along with his breath, straight out of Gavin's lungs. During his brief conversation with Dillon, Gavin had felt like the Jekyll-and-Hyde, considering he had to act happy for them. Knowing his tone had to hold some semblance of excitement, he'd played it off better than he'd expected as he congratulated Dillon. After hanging up, it had taken every atom of self-control not to throw his phone against the wall.

It didn't matter though; the blade was already shoved deep into his heart, mutilating it like a butcher.

Gavin was so focused on staring at the invitation that he almost didn't notice Colton shuffle into his office. Lifting his head from the torturous announcement, Gavin peered at him. Colton was aware of what was going on and wore an expression of concern. Gavin knew what he was going to say, and for f*ck's sake, he didn't want to hear it right then.

"It is what it is, little man. You need to get her - "