Kiss and Don't Tell(111)

She pulls the door open and more panic erupts inside me. “You’re giving up on us, just like that? One fight and you’re done?”

“This isn’t just a fight, Pacey. This is a situation of distrust unfolding. And without trust in each other, what do we have? After everything I’ve said to you, you should know how hard it is for me to trust a man’s word.”

“Fuck, Winnie. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about Josh. I didn’t think it was important. And I lost my cool. I’m going through a lot right now and, fuck, I can’t control what’s coming out of my mouth.”

“You’re right, you are going through a lot, and it’s probably best that we break things off before we get in too deep.”

“Too late,” I shout as she crosses the threshold of my apartment. “I’m already in too deep. I’m already falling. I’m already there, Winnie. You’ll break me if you leave this apartment.”

Her eyes connect with mine and in a cold, detached tone, she says, “You broke me first, Pacey.”

And then she rolls her bag down the hallway of my apartment building.

“Fuck,” I shout before slamming my door and dropping to the floor. I clutch my head, fingers tightly gripping my hair. I draw my knees to my chest, and I feel a dull throb erupt behind my eye. This is where I spend the rest of the night, trying to comprehend how I just blew my chance of the best possible future—one with Winnie Berlin by my side. Even maybe forever.





Taters: How you doing, man?

Hornsby: Just checking in.

Posey: Do you need me to order you some dinner? What does Winnie like?

Holmes: You good?

Taters: Yo, I know you’re probably wrapped up in Winnie, but we just want to know how you are.

Hornsby: It would be cool if you texted us back.

Posey: I’m going to assume that’s a no on the dinner?

Holmes: Dude, you need to respond.

Hornsby: Taters is going nuts.

Posey: I tried giving him some fudge and he rejected it. He’s really concerned. We all are.

Lawes: Winnie left. I fucked up.

Taters: What the hell happened?

Hornsby: Shit, man. I’m sorry.

Posey: She went back home?

Holmes: . . . Hello?





Chapter Twenty-Four





WINNIE





My suitcase rolls behind me, echoing with empty promises of what it was supposed to represent.

Adventure.

Excitement.

Closure.

But instead, it’s a reminder of how I can’t seem to get it together.

Stopping at the door of the townhome I share with Max and Katherine, I fish for my key in my purse. I dig my hand in, searching, just as the door opens, revealing dearest Katherine in a robe, her hair perched on the top of her head in a bun, and her glasses pushed against her face, a disapproving look in her eyes.

“Did you lose your key?” She crosses her arms.

“I can’t seem to find it.”

She tosses her arms in the air and says, “I’ll be calling a locksmith. We need a whole new set now.”

She walks away and I sigh as I roll my suitcase into the entryway and leave it there. “How did you even know I was home?”

“The Ring camera,” she says while scanning me up and down. “You seem sad. Did something happen?”

“Who are you talking to?” Max says, coming down the stairs. When his eyes meet mine, he comes barreling down the rest of the stairs and pulls me into a huge hug.

His familiar arms wrap around me.

My emotions erupt.

And before I know it, my tears come crashing down as I bury my head in his chest.

“Oh shit, Winnie, what’s going on?”

“She lost her key,” Katherine says. “Trust me, I’m upset about it too, but I’ll call the locksmith and we’ll have this all sorted out.” She pats my shoulder coldly.

“I don’t think it’s about her key, Katherine.” Max walks me down the hall and into the living room, where we take a seat on the couch. His hand smooths over the back of my head and he asks, “What’s going on? Is everything okay with Pacey?”

I shake my head.

“Told you it wasn’t about the stupid key,” Max sneers at Katherine.

“Well, I’d be devastated if I lost a key.”

“Hence why you’re still single,” Max shoots back.

“From the looks of it, we’re all single, so not sure how you’re proving your point.”

I lift up my head and look between my two friends with blurry eyes. “What’s going on here?”

Max leans in. “She’s driving me crazy. I didn’t realize how much you acted as a buffer until you were gone.”

Katherine motions her hand at Max. “He has no regard for my needs.”

“For the tenth time, we are not buying a twelve-pack of tasers. No one in their right mind needs that many.”

“You don’t know that.”

Max pinches his nose and takes a deep breath. When he’s done, he looks at me and with soft eyes, he asks, “What happened with Pacey?”

“Broke things off,” I answer, more tears streaming down my face as I recall what happened.