All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Ninety

        My hands were shaking as I set the letter down on my pillow. Hot tears rolled down my face as I laid back, staring at the ceiling.

        I hated not knowing how to feel.

        Had Grayson been someone else, had we met under different circumstances and gotten to know each other as friends, maybe I could've fallen for him. Actually, I probably would've fallen for him. He was sweet, and kind, and always put my feelings first, and he treated me like I was more valuable than the earth itself. Except under the conditions, I couldn't fall for him. I couldn't look past the fact that I'd never really known him outside of the lie we'd so expertly crafted. I didn't even remember the time I'd first met him. Since then, we'd only been roommates, which obviously meant we had time to spend together. It just wasn't our own time. 

        His letter was sweet, just like him, but it also seemed genuine. It somewhat surprised me that he'd backed down, basically resigning himself to knowing that we could never have a future together.

        If you'd asked me what my future was last year, I don't know what I would've said. My future wasn't something I thought about often. It was just there. As far as I had planned, my future was exactly the same as things were now. I would still be living in my house, still working at the hospital. Still best friends with Kylie and Nina. Still constantly working extra shifts. Still single. Maybe, if things really went crazy, I would have adopted a cat, just like Nina had always hoped. But I was not planning on a cat, or any other fuzzy friends. My future was rock solid, written in stone.

        Until I'd met Grayson. 

        For a second, the future had been tossed up in the air. I didn't know who would be there, where I would be, or how different it would be. There were so many different outcomes, so many possibilities. Now I was exactly where I'd started, only more heartbroken and betrayed than before.

        My future was bleaker than ever.

        Rolling over and stuffing my face into the pillows, I sighed. Grayson problems were a thing of the past. For now, I needed to sleep so I could perform my job efficiently tomorrow. Unfortunately, sleep also seemed to be a thing of the past. I tossed and turned all night long, occasionally opening my eyes to stare at the letter written in his flawlessly beautiful handwriting. I laid in bed until dawn, my stomach hurting and my eyes drooping.

        "Gotta get up," I murmured, not moving. I had to go to work. I had to be a nurse. But no matter how much mental and physical energy I tried to summon, I was as still as a rock. Eventually I was forced to concede and called in, informing the hospital that I would be taking one of my vacation days. Even after six months away, I still had a decent stack of them left.

        This news was so concerning that Kylie came over for lunch. She arrived carrying a massive brown bag, walking into my room and sitting on the edge of the bed. With a sympathetic smile, she said, "You see how much he loves you now, don't you?"

        "Nope," I said listlessly. Straining, I grabbed the letter and read parts of it to her. "He's breaking up with me again," I concluded

        "What?" Kylie was frantic as she tore her fingers through her blonde hair.

        "Yeppppp," I said, popping my lips.

        She was crestfallen. "You've got to be kidding me! After all that, he just gives up? Weakling. You deserve better."

        "I deserve no one," I mumbled.

        "Hey, hey, you deserve the best," she said in a warning tone. "Grayson, while near perfection, is showing signs of ickiness. He's weak to not fight for the love of his life. He should demand you back and shower you with kisses and flowers."