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I smile. “That would be selfish.”
“Emilia Cameron’s a lot of things, but selfish isn’t one of them. You’re so annoying,” he says on an eye roll.
“Thanks. It’s my best quality.”
“What did you want to tell me?” he asks after a moment.
My eyes widen slightly and I clear my throat, shifting in my seat.
“Oh, um, I was going to ask you for a day off on Tuesday.”
For a doctor’s appointment. That I was hoping he’d come along with me for.
I’m so fucked.
“But since you’re leaving, it doesn’t matter anymore,” I continue. “Guess I’m out of a job now.”
Guilt flashes across his face. “I’m sorry about your café, angel.”
“I’m not,” I say on a shrug. “Honestly, it took losing it for me to realize it was never really that serious. I made the café a physical embodiment of just how far I’ve come. But the truth is, I know how far I’ve come. And I’ll be okay. Now I just have to think about what I do next.”
“I’m sure you’ll dominate. No matter what you choose.”
My gaze settles on his, tracing the soft creases of his eyes down to the smooth corners of his jaw. And it dawns on me that the point of this entire conversation is that he’s going to leave. And he didn’t say anything about returning, either.
Once again, I feel sick. I don’t know if it’s pregnancy symptoms or just thing entire situation making my stomach so queasy. I slip my hand out of Sterling’s.
“Can we go home now?” I ask softly. “I’m tired.”
His eyes grow even warmer. “Sure, angel. I’ll call Callum to pick us up.”
There’s still so much left unsaid between us, but it’s all getting lost in the sea of uncertainty and pain. I always knew it was going to hurt. But this is so much worse than I expected.
He’s only halfway through his bottle of whiskey when we leave. The air outside the bar is chillier than when we walked in.
I shiver, rubbing my shoulders as we wait for the car. Sterling must notice because he takes off his jacket. I suck in a soft breath as he moves closer to place it around my shoulders. It smells like him. I offer a grateful smile.
“I’m keeping this.” Something to remember him by.
“No problem, angel,” he says tightly, like he can tell what I’m thinking.
Callum arrives, parking the car right in front of us. Sterling opens the door, gesturing for me to get in. I slide into the back seat and he’s right behind me. When I place my head on hisshoulder, he doesn’t stop me. He leans in closer, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers.
This feels like a breakup. Even though we were never even together. I want the drive to last longer than it does, but too soon we’re stopping in front of my house. I exhale softly, looking up at him.
“I guess this is it,” I mutter. “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow,” he replies hoarsely. “I’m sorry, angel.”
“Shush, stop apologizing,” I tell him.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I throw my arms around his neck. He hugs me back, and I hope he doesn’t notice the tremble in my arms. He holds me for so long that everything else disappears. I’m the one that has to let go.
“I have to head inside,” I say, escaping his embrace.
I open the car door, and after thanking Callum and waving at Sterling, I walk away. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy, though. I hear the car door opening and slamming shut about two seconds later.
“Emilia,” I hear Sterling call.