“Then how about a consolation prize?” I had no idea what I meant by that one.

Clearly, neither did he. Troy looked past me. “You realize I can unlock that.”

I took a step toward him. Because it felt like the next thing to do in whatever the hell I was supposedly doing. It wasn’t as though I’d pre-written a play by play on how this was supposed to go.

I just knew the outcome.

“You would have by now.” I kept my tone mellow and seductive even if my heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest.

Now what? Should I kiss him again?

Oh God how I wanted to kiss him again.

Troy raised a brow.

“What?” I asked self-consciously.

He smirked. “You’re having an internal struggle, aren’t you?”

“No. What? How would you know?”

He let out a laugh. And as though he’d hoped not to, he cleared his throat and frowned. “Well, don’t stress too hard over it. I just came in here because I didn’t want to leave you hanging and to tell you this…can’t happen.”

My face fell. He was turning me down?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

As he moved to the door, my hand flew up almost as if a demon possessed me to keep the damn thing shut. “Wait.”

He inhaled deeply and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Think Harper. You’re about to blow your only shot in five years with Troy Hartman. Make a damn move.

Fine. Here’s to hoping you still have a heart.

I moved away from the door and raced into the large handicap stall, wiping at my eyes. The tears were fake, but the smell in here could easily had made them very real.

“Okay fine. This was clearly a stupid idea. Just…go.”

He didn’t say anything, but I also hadn’t heard the door open. “I—I can’t leave you alone here,” he said from the other side of the stall.

“It should be easy for you to leave me wherever the hell you wanted,” I started. “Do you know I cried for weeks over you?” I sniffled and heard a heavy sigh in response.

“I—I know. I’m sorry.”

“Oh please. You don’t care. Clearly it hasn’t affected you one bit.”

“No. Harper.” His voice dropped and he cleared his throat again. “It was the worst thing I’d ever…it shouldn’t have…” I heard his head bang against the door to my locked stall. “Gosh I’m sorry.”

He actually sounded like he meant it.

I snapped out of it and went on. “It doesn’t matter. You probably think I’m pathetic for…well…all this.”

“I don’t know where you were going with this but I never thought you were pathetic, Harper.”