Not too clingy, not too sad. A goodbye that let her leave without feeling the sting of rejection she knew was coming once he woke up.

She stood at his door for just a moment longer than necessary, watching his sleeping form. Goodbye, Hudson Craft. Then she turned and walked away.

Annika frowned at Hudson, the background full of clinking glasses and merry laughter. “I … I left you a note.”

His eyes were somber. “You ghosted me. No number, no email address. You didn’t want me to find you. After everything we shared that week, I thought we had this—this real connection. And to wake up to that empty bed and that impersonal note…” He shook his head. “It fucking hurt.”

Annika’s brain was having trouble comprehending this. “What? Why?”

Hudson laughed incredulously and took a gulp of his drink. “Isn’t it obvious, Annika? I fell for you. Hard. I thought maybe you felt the same way, or at least on the same spectrum as me. But then you treated me like a one-night stand—excuse me, a seven-night stand—that you picked up at a frat house.” He took a shaky breath. “You were the best and worst thing about that summer.”

“But—but I’m the one who always falls for people too fast. I left you that note because I thought there was no way you felt the same about me. I didn’t want to put you in an awkward position, or—” She shook her head, trying to drown out all the sounds around her. “But you never brought up the future. You never said you wanted to continue to go out in LA.”

He leaned forward, his hands flat on the table. “I was going to, that last day. I didn’t want to scare you by bringing it up too early, but that was my plan. I wanted to have your number, take you out on a proper date once we got to LA.”

Annika licked her dry lips. “I—I had no idea. I thought you were going to walk away and I couldn’t face that.”

Hudson held her eyes, not saying anything.

She pushed a hand through her hair, still having trouble believing what she’d heard. “You were hurt by me. And that’s why you came up with Break Up.” She began to laugh. “Hudson—”

Hurt flashed across his face, the skin around his eyes tightening. “I don’t see what’s funny.”

Annika shook her head, trying to catch her breath. She reached out and took his clenched fist in her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m laughing because … do you know why I came up with Make Up?”

“Your parents,” Hudson said carefully. “You couldn’t give them the second chance they deserved, so you wanted to give it to other people.”