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“Hey,” she replies, breaking my attention to her body. “I wasn’t expecting you.” Her voice is cautious, but her face is unreadable.

I wasn’t expecting you either, Sweetness.

I nod, thinking through all the things I can say next, but then she interrupts my freak-out when she says, “Actually, could you come in? I…we need to talk.”

Even though talking is the reason why I’ve come here, the words are like a gong in my skull, a death knell for my rational brain.

“Of course,” I say, and I enter her apartment when she moves to the side.

“Would you like some water?” Shae asks, moving into the kitchen. I follow her with my gaze, and swallow hard when she opens the fridge and bends over to grab a bottle from the vegetable drawer. I don’t respond right away, so she looks over her shoulder at me. Something in my expression causes her to snap to a stand.

“No,” I say. “Thank you.”

She shuts the refrigerator door.

We stare at each other in tense silence, and I wait for her to break it. Because just by showing up here, I’ve already broken my promise.

I’m supposed to be giving her time and space. I’m supposed to be waiting for her.

Yet everything within me has me wanting to rush toward her, full speed ahead.

She uncaps her water bottle and takes a long drink before placing it on the kitchen island.

“Storm, I’ve been thinking,” Shae begins. “And I don’t think we should explore this any further.”

I let the words hang in the air and work hard to keep any reaction off my face.

When I don’t respond to her statement, she says, “I just…this all sounds like a lot and I’m leaving for Massachusetts in a few months.”

“Are you moving to Massachusetts?” I ask, my voice low.

Her shoulders tense.

“Yes, I need to stay focused on my goals and stick to the plan. And this—whatever this is—it doesn’t fit.”

“Doesn’t fit,” I echo, taking a measured step closer. “You meanIdon’t fit.”

Her eyes flash, and I see a spark of frustration. “That’s not what I said.”

“It’s what you meant.”

Her lips press into a thin line, and I watch as she wrestles with herself, her emotions flickering across her face.

Then, she releases a surprised chuckle.

“I never paid too much attention to the parables Daddy taught, but damn if I don’t feel like Eve right now.”

“In awe of creation?” I break in.

“No,” she replies. “Facing the biggest temptation that will damn the entire world if I fall.”

My eyebrows shut down.

“I guess the question is: Am I the apple or the snake?” I grind out, and Shae shakes her head.

“It doesn’t matter, Storm. Listen, I’d love to be with you, and these few weeks that we’ve been together…they’ve been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Good and bad.” She rasps the last part.

“But I have to live in the real world, and that requires me to be practical. At this stage in my life, I need to focus on security, on building the foundation on which the rest of my life sits. And even though I lo—care for you, you are the opposite of secure.”