Lila: Come home, please.

Ten seconds later, I have a reply.

Blake: Open the door.

I climb to my feet, practically running for the door. He’s standing on the other side of the threshold, staring down at me. The color drains from his face then he pulls me into his arms, letting me soak his t-shirt in tears. “I hate that I put you through that,” he murmurs against my hair.

“You didn’t make me do anything,” I cry.

“If I’d never left, you wouldn’t have been with him to begin with.”

There’s truth to that, but I made my own choices. “How did you get here so fast?”

He walks us slowly back into the apartment, shutting the door behind us. “I’ve been standing outside the door for twenty minutes waiting for you to tell me you’re ready.”

“Can you just hold me tonight?” I ask trying to see him the best I can with swollen eyes.

“I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

I FELL ASLEEP LAST NIGHT knowing my old idea of perfect walked out the door, but that my new ideal was curled up next to me.

I woke up this morning only regretting that someone had to be hurt in the process. I don’t regret my choice or how quickly I made it. Blake is still worth risking everything for.

You fall, and you get back up, but it shouldn’t be enough to just walk. Floating is better. Seeing the world from another angle. And when you decide to walk again, you should control where you land.

He kisses my shoulder then brushes my hair away to place another on the back of my neck. He held me until I fell asleep, and every time I shifted during the night, he reined me back. Blake isn’t the safe choice, but he makes me feel protected. The rest doesn’t really matter.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asks, his lips blazing a path to the other shoulder.

“Once I fell asleep, I did. You?” It’s hard to talk when he’s touching me.

“I kept waking up to make sure you were still here … making sure my dream didn’t turn into a nightmare.”

I open my eyes, too scared to admit I fear the same thing. Since I was young, I swear that every spoken fear that slips from my lips comes true. Some things are better left unspoken.

“You can catch up on your sleep while I’m at work,” I mumble, closing my eyes and sinking further into him.

His lips still against my skin. “I don’t want you working with him anymore.”

“I need to work, Blake. Besides, we’re in the middle of the hotel project, and I can’t just walk away from that.”

“Work with me.”

I laugh, nervously. “I’m not a painter.”

“I’ll teach you.”

“It’s not good for us to spend all our time together. The nights will be better if you haven’t seen me all day.”

He sits up, looking over me. “My days will be agony knowing you’re with him.”

“He’s gone the rest of this week, and it’s not like my desk is in his office.”

“Have you ever thought about moving away from here? Starting somewhere new.” He grabs my hand in his, his gaze bouncing from my face to the bed then back to me.

I shift, sitting up next to him. “I’ve done that before. It doesn’t work.”

“Is Chicago where you always want to be?”

Leaning in, I press my lips to his. “I want to be where you are,” I whisper.

He smiles. I smile. Everything else just melts away.

“What if we compromise? I’ll finish up this project, and then I’ll look for something else. We’ll be working together anyway.”

“I trust you,” he says, lifting my hand to his lips.

“Thank you.”

We sit side by side, hand in hand until time leaves me no choice than to get out of bed. “I need to get ready for work.”

“Can’t you call in?” he asks, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

“No. I have to work on those penthouses Wade wants before I go back to New York.”

“But you’re all mine tonight, right?”

I nod, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “All yours.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“I do to,” I admit.

As I get dressed, I realize that Blake hasn’t actually said he loves me since that night he left so many months ago. Deep down, I know this isn’t a game to him, but those three words would mean so much. It would solidify my belief that I made the right decision … that they weren’t just spoken in a moment when he thought he’d never see me again.

I slip my heels on with only a few minutes to spare before I have to be at the train stop. God only knows where my mind will venture to on today’s ride.

Blake stands in the kitchen making breakfast like he always does. I wrap my arms around his bare stomach, resting my cheek against his back. “I hope you’re only cooking for one. I have to get going.”

“You need to start eating better,” he remarks, covering my hand with his.

“I’ll grab something on the way in.”

“Here,” he says, handing me a smoothie. “Start with this.”

I take a slow sip. It’s my favorite—strawberry banana. “That’s just what I needed.”

“I know.” He grins, a single dimple forming.

“I need to go,” I say, looking at the clock on the microwave. After picking up my bag from the chair, I kiss him one last time before heading out the door.

Love is complicated, and in its best form, it’s unspoken. It shows in the things we do, not what we say.

Blake may not say he loves me, but his gestures tell me everything I need to know.

Not surprisingly, Reece is waiting at my desk when I get to the office.

“You couldn’t wait, could you?” I say, setting my things on my desk.

“My life is boring.”

“Find yourself a boyfriend.”

She sighs. “I’ve tried, but no one compares to my book boyfriends so I’m just going to stick with them for a while.”

“There are certain things book boyfriends can’t do for you.” Kissing. Sex. Orgasms. Conversation … I guess that’s important, too.

“I know,” she groans. “It’s just my excuse until I find a guy.”

I can’t help but smile as I take in her bright green shift dress with white polka dots. Her thick-rimmed black glasses top it off perfectly. Somewhere in this office is a guy who thinks about her late at night when he lies in his empty bed.

“You’ll find him.”

“So, back to the whole reason I walked all the way over here … what happened after you left Charlie’s last night?”

I give her the short, condensed version, leaving out the part about the little black box. Her mouth gapes. Mine probably would, too.

Her expression is pained as I finish. “Are you sure you made the right decision?”

“Yes,” I answer with no hesitation.

“I can’t keep up. Your life is like a tennis match, I swear.”

“The game is over now.” I smile, feeling in a better place than I have been in months.

She backs away a couple steps. “Is it too early to ask if your leftovers are off limits?”

“Reece!”

Raising her hands, she says, “You can’t blame a girl for asking. Not that I’m his type.”

“Give yourself some credit.”

She walks away in a huff. “I’ll work on it while I continue to live vicariously.”

I shake my head, quickly getting lost in the re-dos for the hotel project. For whatever reason, what has happened over the past few days has shown me that I have the strength to get through anything.

This project is mine to either exceed or fail in. I’m not going to let myself fail.

The train ride home seems like an eternity. My eyes were glued to the clock all afternoon, waiting for the time when I could make my way back home to Blake. There’s still so much we haven’t worked through.

It’s no surprise, but I didn’t hear a word from Pierce all day. It’s not surprising that he needs his space, but I still want to know that he’s doing okay. I know how it feels to be on that end of things, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone … especially him.