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“Fear,” Savannah reiterated. Her heart raced. She was going to have to tell Fallon exactly what was happening, and she needed to get the words out as soon as possible to stop the tension between them, to end the standstill, at least she hoped it would. “I’m scared of making the same mistake twice.”

“What do you mean?” Fallon’s brow furrowed.

“You came in the other week hot and ready for a fight, ready to win a battle that you didn’t even know existed. But it didn’t exist. There was nothing for you there. Just me.”

“I came to protect you,” Fallon whispered.

“I know.” Savannah gave her a weak smile. “And thank you for that because it did show me one thing.”

“What’s that?” Fallon kept her grip tight on Savannah’s hand.

“That you care when you told me you wouldn’t.”

Fallon sucked in a sharp breath.

“I need someone I can rely on, someone who’s willing to go into the trenches with me. I need a friend.” Savannah winced at that. It was true, but there was also so much more than that.

“I can’t be your friend,” Fallon said slowly, no doubt choosing her words carefully. She always seemed to do that.

“Ineeda friend,” Savannah repeated. “Can’t we just go back to the way we were, before all this drama. When we were relying on each other and sharing with each other? When we first met? Well, maybe not then, but the few times after that.”

“No,” Fallon said firmly.

“No?” Savannah pulled away, her heart threatening to shatter into a million little pieces. “I just did the hardest thing in my life, and you’re going to tell me that we can’t be friends again?”

“We can’t.” Fallon shifted slightly, putting even more space between them. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” Savannah wanted to get up and pounce. She wanted to scream and yell and get the answers faster, but if there was anything she’d learned about Fallon in the last few months it was that these things took time.

“I can’t be your friend again, not like it was before.” Fallon’s cheeks pinked, the color showing against her skin in a way that was glorious on her. What the hell was she thinking about?

“You’re not making any sense. We were friends first. Surely we can go back—”

“We can’t.” Fallon’s words were sharp, loud. They reverberated throughout the room.

Savannah normally would have cowered down, but she didn’t. There was pain underlying those words, and she heard it loud and clear.

“I can’t be your friend without wanting more.” Fallon raised her gaze, meeting Savannah’s. “I’ll always want more.”

“Oh.” Savannah held her breath, the pressure in her chest increasing by the second until she finally forced herself to breathe. “But what I need is a friend.”

“I know.” Fallon frowned, the sad look torturing her gaze even more. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

“No, it wasn’t. I was just supposed to put flowers on a grave and head on to my first appointment with a new lawyer. I wasn’t supposed to meet you.” Savannah fell back into the couch, her shoulders rounding as the energy was sucked right out of her.

“I’m not convinced of that.”

They fell into silence, Savannah staying on her end of the couch while Fallon stayed on the opposite. What were they supposed to do now? Savannah had shown up a mess, Fallon had administered the attention she needed, but now she was refusing any more. And it was the more that Savannah craved.

But Fallon wasn’t willing to give it to her, and she couldn’t force it. She would never dream of doing that.

“I’m struggling, Fallon.”

“We both are.” Fallon looked at her again, that same sadness sweeping over her stunning features. “I think you should leave for now.”

“But—”

“It’s time to go, Savannah. You’re back on your feet, you’ve gotten the advice you needed, and it’s time for you to go home and figure out what your next step is.”