Page 376 of His Virgin Romance Series

I knew she deserved better than me, so what did it say if I ignored that and pushed myself back into her life again? I couldn’t afford to be that selfish again… especially if I loved her, and I did love her, more than anything or anyone else in the world. If having me out of her life were what she wanted, then I would follow through, no matter how hard it was on me.

I walked up the stairs and turned the corner and froze in place as I realized that Gabby was standing outside the door. She hadn’t noticed me yet. It was obvious she wasn’t sure if she should be here or not. I felt my heart beat unevenly as I walked up to her.

“Hi, you,” I said softly.

Despite how softly I spoke, she still gave a little start of surprise. “Oh God,” she gasped.

“Sorry.”

“No, no,” Gabby said quickly. “I was just… I thought you were in.”

“I just finished community service at the station,” I told her.

“Oh, right.”

“Seth signed me out.”

“Okay.” She nodded, looking extremely awkward.

“Gabby?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to come in?” I asked, trying not to spook her. I knew that if I pushed too hard, she would just walk away.

Gabby paused, and I could see that she was contemplating whether she should come in with me or not.

“I won’t bite,” I said.

Gabby smiled instinctively, and she met my eyes for one short second before she turned away from me again. “Just for a short while,” she said.

We walked inside, and I saw Gabby looking around the apartment like she didn’t recognize it. I had packed away all my paintings, and the place looked empty without them… maybe even a little lonely. But that was my perspective. I wondered what Gabby thought. Was she seeing the chance to start fresh without me and make memories of her own? Or was she seeing the recent past when we had been happy and together and ensconced in our own little bubble?

“You took down your paintings,” Gabby said.

“I’m getting all my packing out of the way,” I told her. “And preparing for the exhibition at the same time.”

Gabby gave me a smile. “Seth told me that your paintings were still being exhibited. I’m really happy for you. You deserve to have your paintings seen.”

“Would it be too much to ask if you could possibly come?” I wondered out loud.

Gabby didn’t say anything immediately. She seemed intent on avoiding eye contact. “I don’t know, Miles,” she said. “I want to be there to support you… I believe in your work, and I think you deserve this, but….”

“I screwed things up so royally you don’t want to look at my face ever again?” I offered.

She sighed. “That’s not how I feel.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” I said. “I did lie to you… and I kept justifying those lies, which is even worse.”

“If you don’t mind… I’d rather not to talk about all that,” Gabby said quickly.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry you have to leave this place,” Gabby said. “I know you’ve always loved this apartment.”

“It represented my freedom,” I said. “My autonomy from my parents. It was the first place that was truly mine, and it took a while to get here.”

“Where did you live before you moved to this apartment?” Gabby asked.

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