Chapter 19: The Guilt Train
Dylan: December
The smell of fresh paint fills the offices as I run a hand along the finished trim. The fight with my dad lingers, but work will distract me. It always does.
The door creaks open, and I see Jenna standing there with a smile. Suddenly, whatever was eating me disappears into nothing.
“You’ve been busy,” she says, smirking as her eyes scan the staff break room. “Everything looks really good. I can’t believe you’re…”
“Almost finished,” I cut in, keeping my tone neutral, though the bitterness of no longer seeing her every day creeps in. “Your tea’s there if you want some.”
She steps further inside, settling into the lounge couch. The silence thickens between us, until she finally speaks.
“Sorry about the other day,” she murmurs. “I didn’t mean what I said. I was confused… and tipsy. I know you’d never want to hurt my family.”
I set the brush down and sit next to her. The office is eerily still. I noticed several people heading toward the conference room earlier, but I didn’t realize how empty it had gotten until Jenna walked in.
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” she asks, sipping her tea casually, though her eyes tell a different story.
The question throws me off. “Nope.” The answer is easy to give, but the truth behind it is not. And for the first time, I wonder—what would it look like with her? Something real. Something that matters.
Jenna smiles faintly, almost like she expected the answer. “Never? Not even once.”
I let out a dry laugh, bitter and humorless. “Don’t need them.”
“Everyone needs them.” Her gaze sharpens. “You’re lying to yourself if you really think you can go your whole life without getting close to someone. Humans need connection, Dylan. And not just physically.”
The knot in my stomach tightens how it always does when I talk about this. “It’s simple. I don’t do serious. And I won't lose anyone I care about again.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, leaning in. Her presence pushing against the walls I’ve spent years building.
The memories start to claw their way in, and the ache rises in my chest. “I was supposed to be there for my brother. But I wasn’t.”
Jenna’s hand gently rests on mine. It’s warm, grounding. And it makes me want to say everything just to keep it there.
“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “Guilt has a way of eating you from the inside out if you hold onto it too long. But I’m here if you ever need to talk.”
I pull my hand back before her words consume me. “Nothing to talk about. I don’t do complicated relationships. And the past is just that—the past.”
The tension hangs in the air, her silence louder than anything she could have said. And then—
“Oh, you two again?” Glenda, Jenna’s coworker, lingers in the doorway clutching a coffee mug, gaze darting between us.
Jenna stands, carrying her teacup to the sink. “Is the meeting over yet? I was… I need to talk to Shantel about next week’s event.”
“I don’t know,” Glenda mutters, rolling her eyes. “What do I look like, her assistant?”
Jenna doesn’t flinch. “I know you do enough around here,” she says with a warm smile… one I hope is enough to stop Glenda from gossiping about whatever she thinks she saw.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bite your head off,” Glenda sighs. “Long day. I’ll catch up with you later.”
As the door swings shut, I step toward it.
“No, no. You can’t leave now after we were just possibly outed.” Jenna stops me. “Back to what you were saying. You don’t do complicated… but that’s exactly what this is. Whateverthisis,” she murmurs. “Is that why you flirt with me? Because you don’t have to commit?”
The truth stings on its way out. “Maybe. I never thought it’d lead anywhere.” I hesitate, my eyes meeting hers. “Or maybe I like you more than I should, and I was meant to meet you.”
She lifts a brow. “Why’s that?”
