“Honey, are you okay?” My mother breaks me of my thoughts thankfully because the back and forth going on in my head right now makes me want to scream.

“Yes. Yep. Great.” My voice sounds about three octaves higher than I usually sound and I feel like my heart is about to beat out of my chest. I let out a deep breath and my fingers go to my engagement ring and begin sliding it around.

“Are you sure?” She comes around the island and puts her hand on my cheek. “You’re flushed, how many drinks did you have?”

“One! I just… I’m stressed about my paper.” I swallow and she frowns before wrapping me in her arms.

“Well honey, don’t get yourself worked up. I am so proud of how well you’ve been doing.” She presses a kiss to my forehead before pointing at the breakfast she’d made. “But come eat some food, you can’t work on an empty stomach. I’m going to go take a shower,” she says before she heads out of the room. I know he’s staring at me and probably can tell I’m on the verge of a breakdown so I hope he can also feel the ‘don’t fucking talk to me’ vibes I’m shooting his way. I grab two of the fluffy waffles my mother made and put them on a plate. I’m still in the process of cutting them up when the container of syrup is slid in front of me. I look up and see the sadness all over his face.

“I’m sorry,” he says and I snap my head around the room to see if my dad is still around and notice that we’re alone, making me wonder just how long I was in my own world cutting my food.

“For…?”

“Making you mad… again. What can I do to make you less angry with me, Whitney? Do you want me to leave? Will that make it better? Please just tell me.” I look up at him and the sincerity radiates from his blue eyes. He gives me a sad smile making the skin wrinkle next to his eyes. Before I realize what I’m doing, I’ve wrapped my arms around him, pressing my face into his hard chest and breathing in his scent. He must seem shocked at first because he doesn’t hug me back right away, but after a second his arms wrap around me and I feel his cheek resting on the top of my head just like he always did.

“No. I don’t want you to leave.” I pull out of his grasp before I get too comfortable and one of my parents walk in and begin asking questions. “I want this to be… easier.” His hands are still on me but now he’s slowly dragging them down my arms before gripping my wrists. He squeezes them gently before dragging his thumb over them and letting them go and just that innocent touch has me affected.

I want him. My mind finally speaks what my body has been saying since I saw him yesterday. But I can’t have him.