The morning after, I'm still dwelling in the thoughts of Adrian. I know he's ignoring me. Why wouldn't he? I kissed you in front of him, and the pained look in his eyes had confirmed how greatly it impaled his heart. We're not exclusive, but we both are aware of the unnamed feelings between us.

No texts from him only adds to my anxiety. I don't think he came back to his house last night. His window remained shut, lights out the whole night and even this morning. I check my phone for the millionth time. I have no missed calls or messages, and as my finger hovers over his name, I suck in a deep breath and hit it before waiting impatiently. My heart hammers against my chest, and my hands dig in my hair every time it goes to his voicemail.

By the end of an hour, I finally give in, brushing away the rebellious tears from my face and sending him a single voice note before joining my family at the breakfast table.

Please, Adri, don't ignore me like this. Let's talk. You promised -nothing can ruin what we already have. I can't lose you. I can't lose my best friend.

The way you have poured your heart out last night about your mother's death and you leaving the town has me locked in a state of trance. Then everything that followed after has me numb for anything, let alone the smell of freshly baked cookies. I give a weak smile to my Dad, who pats my head before grabbing his briefcase and heading out of the house.

"Hey, dad," I push out of my chair and rush after my Dad as he reaches his car.

"Yeah," Dad throws his briefcase inside the passenger seat and turns with lines around his eyes as I approach him, a little breathless. He accentuates my face as if he can look through the war inside me. "What happened?"

"Do you still have that position open in your office for the intern?" I ask, masking off the other emotions from him. He doesn't seem convinced but doesn't ponder either.

"You know, it will always be open for you." He regards me with a smile and then goes on to brush the unruly hair from my face. He gauges my face for a second, disapproval inked in his eyes, but he releases a sigh.

I give him a weak nod before he darts around me and moves inside his car. And just before he starts the ignition, he looks at me to say something that renders me breathless all over again.

"Hey, Violet," Dad says, sliding down the window. "Tell Adrian he can't just jump through your window at night. Last night should be the only exception. If he wants to meet my daughter at ungodly hours, he has to come in through the main door."

Adrian came to my room last night while I was sleeping but didn't wake me up.

As soon as Dad's car hit the road, I reach across the street to Adrian's house. I need to see him. His mom answers the door looking equally worried when I ask her about him. "He has not come home since yesterday." She says, her forehead showing the deep lines of concern. "Did something happen, Violet?"

"Nothing happened," I lie, forcing my lips upward in a convincing smile. "Adri's probably with his friends. I will check with them."

My heart sinks in dread once again as I walk back to my house.

How are we going to get through this?

How can he shut me off entirely?

And why can't I seem to do the same?

As the day ends, I send him another text filled with anxiety and something more than loss.

Me: Adri, can you please stop shutting me off.

***

I must've drifted off. The creak of the rising window bolts me out of my sleep, and I sit up, ready to scream as Adrian lands on the floor with a thud. In the darkroom, illuminated only by the moonlight seeping through the window, our eyes collide. My voice dies inside my throat as Adrian rises to his full height, blinking at me. His emerald eyes look at me with shock and reluctance, but his face suddenly morphs with a scowl.

He stands by the window, his face shadowed in the dark, and I crave to see more of him. I scramble off the bed and reach for the lamp, but he covers the distance between us and grabs my hand.

"Don't," he says, his deep voice vibrating through every nerve endings. His hand is cold around mine and full of tension that seems to surround his aura. I move my trembling hand over him, seeking assurance that he's there, but as soon my fingers brush, he jerks his hold away from me.

"Adri, you're here," I croak out, not sure what else to say. A long, silent minute passes between us as I listen to his ragged breathing, near to me but not close enough. He smells like sweat, whiskey, and weed as he exhales before his forehead falls on my shoulder.

My hand twitches to wrap around him, so I move them slowly from where they're bunching my long baggy shirt. But as they come around him, he whispers in my ear. "No, V. Don't make this any more difficult than it already is. You can't give me just something when I need-I want everything."

"Adri," I say, curling my hands against my chest as I feel his pain transfer into me. "I didn't know Augustus was back in town. But then I saw him singing at Smoothie Shack, and all the memories came back. I didn't-"

He releases a dry chuckle against me, lifting his head off my shoulder and giving me a close look at his face. He's wearing the same white shirt from yesterday, his hair is messier than usual, and day-old stubble litters his rigid jaw. "It's good that you chose him."

"No," I gasp out, not sure why his words grate my internal organs. "You don't know nearly as much as you think. I never stopped loving him, and when he poured his heart out. How he lost his mother and the only family he had, I became weak. And I'm sorry that you had to see what you saw but..." A silent sob escapes my throat, and I place my palm against his chest. "Don't shut me off."

He hisses away from my touch, and I spot a bandage over the area of his chest where I placed my palm. I reach for it, but he pulls his shirt in place and glares at me. "Do you regret it, V?"

His words make me freeze on my spot. We both look into each other's eyes, unblinking as he searches for his answers. It's out there in the open. If it were anyone else, other than you, Augustus, I would have regretted it till the end of eternity, but it was you, and even though I feel guilty for hurting Adrian, I don't regret any moment with you.

He takes a painful step closer to me and leans in, his green eyes glassy and full of unspoken emotions. In all the years I have known him, this is the first time he looks vulnerable and so very scared as he whispers in my ear, deep voice cascading through my heartstrings. "I'm sorry, V."

I frown at him, but he touches a thumb to my cheekbones and catches a tear licking it from his thumb. "I know how it feels to love someone for whom you're just a choice, an option. I've seen that kind of love between my parents. And I don't want it. I don't want to be a choice or an option in love."

"You are not just an option for me, Adri." I clasp my hands around his neck and bring his forehead against mine. "You're my best friend, and I will always need you, no matter what choice I make, what option I choose. My need for you will remain unwavering."

"This is quite a mess," he releases a breath. "I want you to know that I'm not angry with you for kissing him." He huffs out a laugh, curses under his breath, and it forms ugly knots in my stomach. "I know you love him. I know you never let go of him and probably won't ever let him go. So, if he is the one for you, I won't make it worse for you."

"Adri?" My eyes prick and burn, and I feel a loud crack somewhere inside my heart.

"Fuck, V. Don't look at me like I'm breaking your heart." He groans painfully, gritting his teeth, and I can trace each angry vein on his neck. "I'm giving you an out, so you can be with the one your heart belongs to, who makes you happy. Because, in these three damn years, I've never seen you dancing on air happy. And I know you need the time and space to figure that out. So, I'm going to give you exactly that."

"You want me to be happy?" I ask as every word he says makes a mark in my mind, heart, and soul.

"Yes, even if..."

"Even if it means letting you go?" I finish him when he trails off.

"You have to let me go, V," he holds the back of my head and brushes against my lips. "You have to let me let you go."

I release a shivery breath against the soft brush of our lips, and butterflies go wild in my stomach, but I swallow the burn because he's right about one thing- I need to let go.

"God, it sounded like a movie dialogue," he releases my head and steps away from my touch.

"Because it is a movie dialogue." I chuckle, even though my heart crashes against my ribcage with the pain he's hiding behind those sparkling green orbs.

"Busted," he throws his head back and gives me a sad laugh.

Another minute stretches forever as I keep looking at his beautiful but sharp face, and I hold back the urge to bury my face in his chest and cry. Because that's all I want to do as he takes a step away, then another until he's climbing out of the window.

"I'm sorry, V," he says, pausing by the ledge. "I'm breaking another promise."

Tears flood and cascade down my cheeks as I wait for him to finish his apology.

"I guess we're not going on the date I promised." He says in his deep voice, barely a whisper, then he's out of my room, and I let him go.

"Adri, wait."

He doesn't.

***

Author's Note: Hi Guys! Sorry, it took me some time to pull this chapter together. It's one of those chapters I feel broken while writing. Let me know your feelings about it. Also, share your comments and votes to show your love for this story.

Do you think Adrian and Violet are falling apart?