Page 96 of The Rookie

Then Griffin speaks.

"So, what happens after Mexico?"

The question throws me off guard, my stomach flipping slightly. I don’t want to think about it.

"What do you mean?" I ask carefully.

He shrugs, turning to face me, his eyes steady, unreadable. "I mean your dream, Sinclair. The one you’ve been avoiding for months."

Oh. That.I exhale, swirling the champagne in my glass. Am I…already gettingattachedto him? Fuck me. My head is spinning after being possessed by him. "I don’t know."

"I do." His voice is firm, certain. "You apply. You go after it. No bullshit excuses. We get one life. Our desires—our dreams—they’re placed there for a reason.”

“You really believe that?”

I glance at him, his jaw set like he won’t accept anything less than a yes.

“I do. And you don’t know where they’ll lead you. What adventure you might go on once you take the first step.”

"It’s not that easy," I murmur.

"Yeah, it is." He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "What’s stopping you?"

I don’t answer.

Because the truth is—nothing is.

Nothing except fear. Doubt. That nagging voice telling me I’m not good enough for what Ireallywant. Something saying that I should rewrite my essay one more time, and then I’ll get it right.

Griffin sees the hesitation in my face and shakes his head.

“You’ve never half-assed anything in your life. Why start now? Avery…”

He gets up, his eyes locked on mine, threading his fingers gently through my hair. “They’d be lucky to have you. That’s the God’s honest truth.”

His voice is low, firm, and so damn sure of me.

"I don’t know where along the line you stopped believing you weren’t good enough to go after what you really want. But you need to start doing that again."

The words hit something deep inside me, something raw and real.

A tear slips free before I can stop it, rolling down my cheek. It’s not from sadness, not exactly.

It’s just… no one has ever talked to me like Griffin does.

Like I’m capable. Like I’m meant for something more. Like I’m worth believing in.

I let out a watery laugh, brushing the tear away quickly. “God, you’re annoying when you’re right.”

Griffin grins, but it’s softer than usual. “I’m annoying all the time. This just happens to be a bonus.”

He gets up, disappears into the hotel room, and a second later, I hear the sound of a speaker clicking on.

Then—Tom Petty.

"You don’t know how it feels… to be me…"

My heart does a tumble, and I try to swallow it back down.

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