Page 120 of Stroke of Fate

Macy is the first to break the tense silence. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see her.”

She scoffs. “Yeah, right. That’s not going to happen.”

“Macy, just let him do this, yeah?” Mack says, his tone surprisingly soft.

She glares at him, but surprisingly, she holds the door open wider. All three girls step aside, letting me pass as I head straight for Bear's room.

I slowly open the bedroom door, careful not to startle her. The bed is empty, but the covers are rumpled like she just got up.

Stepping further inside, I see her standing by the window, her back to me. I quietly close the door behind me, noticing her tense up at the sound of the click.

When she finally turns around, her ocean-blue eyes—the same ones I’ve only ever seen my future in—are empty. And it’s impossible not to notice how red-rimmed and puffy they are.

The sight knocks the air from my lungs.

Each inhale after is a struggle as I fight the anxiety threatening to suffocate me.

I’d rather have her yelling or screaming at me: anything but this…this nothingness.

I step toward her, but she immediately takes a step back. Actually, takes a step back, like she can’t stand the thought of being near me.

It's a gut-wrenching feeling, especially considering that less than twenty-four hours ago, she was begging for my touch.

The silence stretches on, and fear seeps into every pore, causing my muscles to lock up tight.

I’m so afraid.

That I’m losing her.

That I’ve already lost her.

34 | BEAR

Rain has been falling steadily outside my bedroom window all day, but my tears dried up long ago.

I woke up this morning after a restless night of tossing and turning, with the same heaviness from yesterday still weighing on me. It’s eased slightly since then, thanks to Pia. I probably wouldn’t have left this room if it weren’t for her.

She declared my phone a no-go zone and made it her mission to distract me from everything. A few hours later, Macy and Elsie showed up. When Pia told them what had happened the previous night, I forced myself to become numb to my emotions.

I was tired of crying and emotionally exhausted. I didn’t want to think about Levi or what would happen next.

Of course, my girls were the best. The heavy stuff was off-limits, and they didn’t mention Levi. Nor did I bring him up.

We laughed—or at least I tried to. We ordered greasy food and pretended everything was fine. For a little while, I managed to escape the emotional turmoil.

Until the familiar heaviness in my chest crept back in. I just wanted a moment to myself. To pull the covers over my head and wallow in self-pity.

The girls must have sensed the shift in my mood because they were a little too enthusiastic when I mentioned stepping away. But now, alone in my bedroom, my thoughts drift back to Levi.

Did he wake up this morning and regret it?

Did he spend the night at the dorms, or was that a lie, too?

Did I even mean anything to him?

Each thought is more painful than the next.

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