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The crisp autumn air enveloped me as I stood beneath the sprawling branches of the ancient oak tree behind the hockey field, its leaves a vibrant tapestry of gold and crimson. They fluttered in the wind, twirling like tiny dancers before landing softly on the ground which made me stupidly jealous about how happy they were despite being separated from their branches.
Thor stood a few paces away, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket as he waited for me to speak.
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“I’m sorry, Thor,” I whispered, my voice barely a murmur against the rustling backdrop of the wind. “But… I think we should break up.”
There. I had said it.
I exhaled slowly, the weight of the moment pressing down on me. My fingers gripped the hem of my sweatshirt like it could ground me, steadying my nerves.
“I thought I could do this,” I continued, my voice trembling slightly. “I thought I could be the girlfriend you needed… but the truth is, I’m not ready for any of this. I can’t be what you deserve.”
The words slipped out like mock, bitter and filled with negligence, narcissism along with tons of hypocrisy, but they were the truth. I wasn’t ready to give him my heart–in fact, I, myself, don’t have my heart with me. I was there, but just there, broken and heartless. It would be unfair for him if I offered him that me.
“You deserve someone who will love you without hesitation,” I added, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “Someone who’s completely here. Not someone who’s still figuring out her own mess.”
There was a sickening sense of guilt that gnawed at my insides as I spoke, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Thor didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of my own confusion, my battle with my mom, my mess. He deserved more than this- more than a girl who wasn’t truly there.
He deserved someone jolly like him. Someone who would enhance his happiness, not someone who would make him depressed by making him feel like a worthless boyfriend who can’t even make his girl happy.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered again, my heart stinging with the weight of what I had said. But there was no anger in his eyes. The silence after that was a bit longer than normal and I couldn’t keep up with looking into his eyes, I didn’t dare to. I looked down at the ground, feeling guilty and selfish.
Thor let out a small chuckle, the kind that made me look up at him in surprise. He shook his head, his lips curling into a gentle smile. “Lucy,” he said softly, his voice still light, despite the situation. “You don’t have to apologize.”
I blinked, taken aback by his response. He isn’t angry with me? Weren’t we supposed to be yelling at me for wasting his time?
Instead, he seemed…. okay. He seemed more composed than I had expected any man would be.
“If I’m honest,” he continued, rubbing a hand through his messy hair, “I kinda saw this coming. And yeah, it sucks… but honestly, after dating you, even for just a short while, I realized something.”
I frowned, not sure where this conversation was headed. “What?”
“We weren’t right for each other.” He flashed me that lopsided grin, the one that usually made me feel like he was up to something. “And that’s okay.”
I stared at him, momentarily speechless. How could he be so calm about this? I had spent hours agonizing over it, but Thor? He was taking it in stride. The way he seemed completely fine with everything made me feel both relieved and strangely unsettled at the same time.
“You’re gonna be fine, Luc,” he said, reaching forward to flick my forehead lightly, his smile still wide and carefree. “And so will I. We were never supposed to be anything more than what we were–friends.”
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Chapter 72
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The words lingered in the air like a weight lifting off my chest. It was true, wasn’t it? I hadn’t really been able to give Thor what he deserved, and he had been right all along. Our connection had never been what I thought it could be.
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I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. The sense of relief washed over me like cool water, but there was still a tiny pang of guilt that lingered, gnawing at my heart. No matter how cool he showed himself, there was a pain hidden behind his eyes.
“And you owe me a burger for breaking my heart,” Thor added with a teasing wink.
I couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of me. It felt light, free, for the first time in days. “Deal,” I replied, smiling.
Before either of us could say anything more, a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Lucy!”
I turned to see Sheela standing a few steps away, away enough to get out of earshot of conversation and close enough to be heard if yelled loud enough.
“Coach is waiting on the field,” Sheela said, her voice tinged with urgency. “If we’re late, she’ll make us run 500 laps.”
Her arms were crossed over her chest, her stance impatient. Her ponytail swayed with the movement as she threw me a look that said it all–hurry up.
A groan slipped from my lips before I could stop it. 500 laps? Nope. Not doing that.
“Okay, okay,” I called back, my eyes briefly flicking to Thor. I gave him one last apologetic glance. “I really have to go. And I know I’ve already‘ said this, but… I’m sorry for how things turned out.”
As I began to back away, Thor’s smirk never faltered. “Go before Coach eats you alive,” he teased, his tone light. But then, his expression softened, his voice dropping to something quieter. “And Lucy?”
I paused at the midway, my hand grasping the hem of my sweatshirt again. “Yeah?”
“Don’t overthink this,” he said simply. “We’re good.”
I nodded, feeling an unexpected warmth in my chest, before turning and hurrying to catch up with Sheela. My heart felt lighter than before, but it was still heavy, heavy with how my life had turned into.
Barbara, Kaiden, Mom, Ross.
ROSS. My ex–step brother. The one who-
Sheela grabbed my arm as we made our way out, practically dragging out of my chilling thoughts. “Come on,” she urged. “If we don’t run fast, Coach will probably hunt us down.”
“Don’t worry. I will protect you.” I said, matching her pace and smiling at her. I am glad that I still had Sheela and Rubina, Kaiden was right, if I knew about Barbara before, I would have gone depressed due to loneliness and trust issues,
The changing room buzzed with the usual chatter–bags rustling, lockers slamming shut, the scent of sweat and fresh laundry filling the air. The noise felt grounding, familiar.
I pulled my damp jersey over my head, the cool fabric brushing against my warm skin. Sheela was busy toweling off her face, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Hey,” I rasped, still feeling the strain of practice in my voice. “How’s Rubina? Is she feeling any better?”
Sheela paused for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she answered. “Yeah, she’s finally on the mend. Fever’s gone. She’ll be
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Chapter 72
The words fingered in the air like a weight lifting off my chest. It was true, wasn’t it? I hadn’t really been able to give Thor what he deserved, and he had been right all along. Our connection had never been what I thought it could be
I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. The sense of relief washed over me like cool water, but there was still a tiny pang of guilt that lingered, gnawing at my heart. No matter how cool he showed himself, there was a pain hidden behind his eyes.
“And you owe me a burger for breaking my heart, Thor added with a teasing wink
I couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled out of me. It felt light, free, for the first time in days. “Deal,” I replied, smiling
Before either of us could say anything more, a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Lucy!”
I turned to see Sheela standing a few steps away, away enough to get out of earshot of conversation and close enough to be heard if yelled loud enough.
“Coach is waiting on the field,” Sheela said, her voice tinged with urgency. “If we’re late, she’ll make us run 500 laps.”
Her arms were crossed over her chest, her stance impatient. Her ponytail swayed with the movement as she threw me a look that said it all–hurry up,
A groan slipped from my lips before I could stop it. 500 laps? Nope. Not doing that.
“Okay, okay” I called back, my eyes briefly flicking to Thor. I gave him one last apologetic glance. “I really have to go. And I know I’ve already‘ said this, but… I’m sorry for how things turned out.”
As I began to back away, Thor’s smirk never faltered. “Co before Coach eats you alive,” he teased, his tone light. But then, his expression softened, his voice dropping to something quieter. “And Lucy?”
I paused at the midway, my hand grasping the hem of my sweatshirt again. “Yeah?”
“Don’t overthink this,” he said simply. “We’re good.”
I nodded, feeling an unexpected warmth in my chest, before turning and hurrying to catch up with Sheela. My heart felt lighter than before, but it was still heavy, heavy with how my life had turned into.
Barbara, Kaiden, Mom, Ross.
ROSS. My ex–step brother. The one who-
Sheela grabbed my arm as we made our way out, practically dragging out of my chilling thoughts. “Come on,” she urged. “If we don’t run fast, Coach will probably hunt us down.”
“Don’t worry. I will protect you.” I said, matching her pace and smiling at her. I am glad that I still had Sheela and Rubina. Kaiden was right, if I knew about Barbara before, I would have gone depressed due to loneliness and trust issues.
The changing room buzzed with the usual chatter–bags rustling, lockers slamming shut, the scent of sweat and fresh. laundry filling the air. The noise felt grounding, familiar.
I pulled my damp jersey over my head, the cool fabric brushing against my warm skin. Sheela was busy toweling off her face, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Hey,” I rasped, still feeling the strain of practice in my voice. “How’s Rubina? Is she feeling any better?”
Sheela paused for a moment, her eyes lighting up as she answered. “Yeah, she’s finally on the mend. Fever’s gone. She’ll be
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Chapter 72
back tomorrow. Let’s bombard her with gossip till she can’t take it.”
I raised an eyebrow, grinning. “I’ll warn her to bring super glue for your mouth to save her precious ears.”
Sheela elbowed me lightly, rolling her eyes. “Come on. I just got my lip filler
“Really?”
Sheela shook her head, a wicked grin spreading across her face. “Nope. Just kidding. Your girl’s a natural beauty”
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I chuckled softly, shaking my head before zipping up my gym bag and grabbing my phone. As I unlocked it, I noticed a new message. From Thor.
“I’ll forgive you if you give me Sheela’s number.”
I snorted, shaking my head with an amused smirk, slipping my phone back into my pocket. Glancing over at Sheela. I caught her tying her shoes, blissfully unaware of the message about her.
A mischievous thought crossed my mind. I leaned casually against the locker, my voice light. “So, Sheela, what do you think of Thor?”
Sheela froze mid–tie, her gaze narrowing with suspicion. “Thor? Why?”
I shrugged, trying to keep my grin from giving me away. “Just curious.”
She raised an eyebrow, finishing her shoes with slow, deliberate motions. “He’s funny. A little like a rich overgrown puppy. But he is cute. Gives golden retriever vibes. Why?”
“Just wondering if you’re interested in him,” I said, nonchalantly.
She looked at me, her lips curling into a smirk that was sharp with offense. “No, he’s your boyfriend. Why would I be interested?”
I swallowed, my fingers tightening around the straps of my bag. “He isn’t my boyfriend. What happened at that party was a mistake.”
I left it there, not bothering to explain further about our recent breakup because it was useless. We were barely in a relationship, and to be honest, for me, it wasn’t even a relationship. It was just a decoy to keep Kaiden away from me.
To be continued…
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AD
