Her mouth opens to argue, but she must think better of it. It quickly snaps shut. “If you insist…”
I can tell it pains her to let me go, but really, it’s for the best. I nod to make it sound more forceful. “I insist. I’m just feeling under the weather. Please tell Luke after the game. I’ll see him at home.”
Mona still looks as if she doesn’t want to leave me. But eventually, she concedes. She steps forward and embraces me with a well-needed hug. “I’ll see you later. If you need anything, please call.”
“I will,” I lie for the first time to her. The lie feels bitter on my tongue, but it’s necessary. I need to get the hell out of here, and I don’t want anyone fussing over me.
She quickly tells me the code, and I give her one last hug. As I walk out of the stadium, I pull open the app from my phone to order a car. It should be here in six minutes. I have just enough time to walk to the corner of the parking lot. When I finally drive away, I glance one more time at the stadium, and unshed tears stream down my face.
The entire ride, I contemplate my choices, but I come to only one decision. There’s no way I can have a career on my ownandbe with Luke. I can’t let his fame dictate my future. I also can’t sit around and be a distraction to him. We obviously shouldn’t be together.
Look at the game today; it’s the perfect example of why it won’t work. It’s best I get out now, before I fail miserably down the road. I wipe the tears from my face the best I can with my Rainier Renegade jersey. It’s scratchy but does the trick.
We haven’t even said, ‘I love you’ to one another, so I owe it to both of us to take myself out of the equation before either of us get hurt any further. I was happy with my life before meeting Luke, I’ll be fine afterward.
But that’s not true,a quiet voice in my head reminds me, and my heart squeezes.It’s what has to be done, I scold myself, over and over, until I can make myself believe it’s true.
By the time I’ve made it to Luke’s parents’ home, my mind is made up. I ask the driver to stay as I dart into the house. I quickly gather my things and make it out to the car in record time.
When I get in, the driver asks, “Where to?”
“Take me to the airport, please.”
