Page 37 of Our Little Moments

“Sometimes, things are too good to be real,” she murmurs.

Chapter 14

Stella

Ipick up my phone, unable to resist the urge to call Derek. I’m making progress, and I want to share it with him. We used to call each other every time we had some progress to share to keep both of us accountable and celebrate our wins.

My hands shake as I hold my phone, but I grab hold of the courage I still have left and call him. Derek picks up on the third ring.

“Hey, Stella. Finally called to tell me I was right?”

I laugh. Of course those would be his first words. “Never.”

Derek hesitates. “I have something important to tell you.”

“Uh, sure. What is it?”

“I quit the tournament.”

“What?”

He chuckles. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

“But you loved training for it. What changed?”

“Well, I saw what being away from it for a little while did for you when we last called. If Stella Brookstone can start over, so can I.”

I chuckle. “I’m not nearly as cool as you make me sound.”

Derek sighs heavily. “I hate seeing you so hard on yourself.”

My heart stops. “I’m not hard on myself. I just have standards for myself.”

“Accepting a compliment won’t waste your life away.”

I groan. “Come on, you know what I mean.”

“Stella, your standards are not human. It’s like you don’t even allow yourself to feel your goddamn emotions. Yes, it makes you push yourself harder. But it makes you push too hard. I hate seeing what it’s doing to you.”

“I—”

“Do you see how long it took you to realize you were unhappy? It took way too long, Stella. You stopped smiling for years before you lost your powers. You didn’t do anything other than work. You didn’t even look alive.”

“Neither did you!”

“We were both unhappy,” he says flatly, almost heartbroken.

“Yeah,” I agree sadly. “Are you . . . Are you happier now?”

I can hear him smile through the phone. “Yes, I am. I actually started helping people train their powers. I love it.”

I’m so proud of him. “That’s amazing, Derek!!”

“Are you happier, Stella?”

His question knocks me off guard, but I know the answer. “Yes.”

I might not have everything together yet, but I’m falling in love with life again.

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