Page 33 of Red, White, and You

“I received a call from Chris—Christina. My partner,” I begin, my voice barely a whisper. “Something urgent has come up, and I have to go back. It’s… it’s a mess.” My voice cracks on the last word.

His brows furrow, a mix of concern and disappointment etching lines on his forehead as he tries to process the news. I can see the hurt in his gaze, the realization that our reunion has been cut short by the merciless hand of fate.

“Can’t someone else handle it? Can’t you take a few more days?”

I take a step closer, my hand reaching out to caress his cheek, to touch the roughness of his unshaven skin. The warmth of his face sends ripples of longing through my veins, but I steady myself, knowing that this goodbye is inevitable.

It always was.

“I wish I could, Brady. I truly do,” I whisper, my voice laced with regret. “But this is my firm, my career, and I can’t abandon it. I’ve worked so hard to build something meaningful.”

He reaches up, placing his hand over mine against his cheek. His eyes search mine, as if hoping to find a different answer buried within their depths, but then he nods. “I understand. Go take care of things back home.”

The ache in my chest intensifies, threatening to consume me whole. It hurts to see the sadness in his eyes, to know that he, too, is torn between his love for me and the reality of our differences. We were always polar opposites, two souls dancing on opposite ends of the spectrum, but we’ve both hoped, even foolishly, that we could cross that divide.

And now, he’s not even mad at me. Yelling would be easier to take. A fight, easier to drive away from.

But he’s calm. Resigned. As if…

I sigh.

As if he, too, knew this was always the inevitable end of our love story. Because it quite literally always has been, hasn’t it? Togetherness and happily ever after were just never in the cards for us.

“I love you, Brie,” he whispers, his voice tight with emotion. “I love you more than I can put into words.”

A solitary tear escapes the corner of my eye. I hold his gaze, my heart breaking with every truth he speaks into existence.

Brady pulls me into an embrace, his arms encircling me tightly, as if trying to hold onto the fragments of our love that slip through his fingers.

“I’ll always love you, Brielle,” he murmurs against my hair, and my heart shatters into even smaller shards.

It’s a goodbye that cuts deeper than any wound, a farewell born from love and understanding. We both know that this is the right thing to do, the only path forward.

Aparthas always been the only path forward.

This isn’t a fairy tale, and sometimes love simply is not enough.

“I’ll go to my place so you can pack the rest of your things and leave without me lingering and…” He grimaces. “Making it harder.”

As I pull away from him, our eyes meet for one last time. The weight of unspoken words hangs heavy in the air, a testament to the love that lingers between us, even as we say goodbye.

Again.

He dresses quickly, and I watch his every move, memorizing each pull of muscle in his back as he tugs his shirt on, the way his fingers move with each button of his fly. He runs his hands through his unruly dirty-blond hair and I almost change my mind.

When he reaches the door, he pauses to look back at me. “Bye, Breezy.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and tears stream down my cheeks. The sound of the door opening and closing echoes in theroom. His footsteps grow quieter the further down the steps he gets.

And then he’s gone.

“Goodbye, Brady,” I whisper. “I’ll always love you, too.”

This time around, that man doesn’t just have a piece of my heart, he has the whole goddamn thing.

BRIE

Two Months Later

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