Page 74 of Swan

There was a rumble of a bike coming down the street.

Drake.

I pressed a hand to my stomach when it started fluttering.

Guilt slammed into me. I stared down at the ground and clenched my teeth.

It felt wrong to react to Drake. Not just because he was a friend, but I also told myself that I shouldn’t react to another man so soon.

It’s been a year.

A year wasn’t enough.

Lockland had been my world.

But you lost contact.

We still cared for each other.

You could have tried harder.

But I didn’t know if he wanted me to contact him.

Bile rose. I pressed a hand to my mouth, turned, and walked out of the room.

“Swan?” Mum called.

“B-Back soon,” I managed to get out.

I just needed a minute. I needed my head to stop scrambling. To just stop.

Why was I trying to make excuses for myself?

I was on the stairs when the door behind me opened.

“Hey, Birdy.”

My heart thrashed.

I stilled.

Drake.

It was him.

I was attracted to Drake, but I wasn’t allowed to be.

I love Lockland.

I lost the man who was made for me. I shouldn’t be thinking about someone else.

Why was I reacting to Drake this way? Where had this attraction come from?

Why now? What did I do with it?

I couldn’t do anything. I wouldn’t. He was Drake.

Friend.

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