I shut those thoughts down. No good could come from them. It was one time.

One moment of weakness.

I couldn’t go there again. I wouldn’t.

We could get through this weird patch and come out stronger for it. The same couldn’t be said if we kept crossing that line. Besides, if everything worked out with Iowa there would be almost a thousand miles between us.

My heart dropped at the thought. A future without Poppy. It had always been a reality but I hadn’t given it much thought before. Not when college and the future had always been a mere dream, hovering far off in the distance.

Now I couldn’t stop.

Losing her would be… Fuck, it would hurt.

But she would blossom at college. Poppy would flourish and she would make new friends and have new experiences and eventually, she would meet a new guy.

And that was something I had to accept.