Page 55 of Click of Fate

He frowns. “Stella.”

“I should help Lilly get set up. She’s excited.”

He nods, stepping back. “Yeah. Of course.”

I walk away before he can say anything else—and before I say something I’ll regret.

While Lilly gets her gear on, I sit on the bench outside the kids’ climbing area and stare at the floor like it has answers.

Claire. Ex. Expansion. She’s here. She’s still got a piece of him, even if he doesn’t see it.

And me?

I’m just… here.

The girl who never stays. Who never commits. Who never lets herself want anything that could leave.

My phone buzzes in my jacket pocket.

I pull it out, expecting something from Harper, maybe a bakery update from Hazel.

But I see it’s just an email. That’s when I notice I have a missed text from Luke from earlier.

Luke:

A gallery? That’s incredible. You should be proud. I know I am.

I reread it three times.

It’s simple. Thoughtful.

Exactly like him.

And it makes everything harder.

Because that’s the thing. That’s why I want to pull back.

He says things that matter. He makes space. He makes it too easy to imagine staying.

I lock the screen and slide my phone back into my pocket before I can say something I’ll wish I hadn’t.

I do want something. Or maybesomeone.

And now that I’ve started to admit it—just barely—the universe decides to throw in the ex-girlfriend from hell with a killer smile and history on her side.

I don’t know what to do with that.

I don’t want to be the girl who walks away again. But I also don’t know how to be the girl who fights for someone. What if he wants her back? What if, this whole time, I’ve been playing pretend—and she’s the real thing?

My chest tightens.

I need space. Or distance. Or a time machine.

Lilly’s laugh cuts through the silence. She’s already on the wall, grinning at Luke like he invented gravity.

He’s smiling back, but his eyes flick to me again.

And suddenly, I’m not sure where I stand.

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