When Sloan Casey was at her lowest point at 17, she met Alex Abrams. Though sheltered it was almost as if Alex brought her back to life through her struggles. But after falling for Alex, the last thing she expected was for him to ghost her.
But what...
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Months later...
I don't know why I found myself frustrated. I didn't share my feelings of Ace with Lila. He was her person, they were having a child together. Yet at points I found myself bothered. He finally made it home, but I find myself worried.
He doesn't realize what risks he's caused her and how he left her and their child. I know grudges don't help anyone and I'd get over it. But I just cared about her and this baby. I was excited for her though, I swore she's having a girl. But Lila wouldn't fess up. It was weird in a way to think that my best friend would be a mother. I was jealous in ways I wasn't allowed to be. I hadn't told Adonis about children yet, how I couldn't really have them.
I knew he wanted a family with me someday. It was something that tugged at my heart. We were still slowly working on us, but Lila knew we were together now. I hadn't relayed the whole story to her, about Alex, about Avery. She didn't know, she knew of Alex... but not that Adonis was him.
It's weird how the world works, how everyone's connected. Like if Lila wasn't my roommate or if we didn't move past that awkward phase. If we hadn't become friends or if she never met Ace. It's all so happenstance.
"Sloan?" I look up from the pages of a book I'd been scanning for hours yet words I don't remember. Adonis stood holding something in his hand. I glance at the letter and then to him.
"It's from NYU" That churning feeling returned to my stomach, the dream crushing one. But instead of that spark of hope I had when I was a teen, it was gone with the size of that letter.
This wasn't undergrad, this was a different pool of applicants. They look for specifics and straightforwardness, not the gloomed undecided such as myself. I had a career set up, I could always try grad school.
He could see it on my face and as he handed the letter to me, I knew he was curious too.
"Sloan open the letter" Standing in front of me, an excited look spread across his face.
"I can't" Then he does it again, he rolls his eyes and shakes his head. The letter is placed in my hands as his eyes just remained on me.
"Well you have to at least open it, and whatever is on the inside doesn't define your future. Nothings permanent or definite Sloan, you can't know the truth without trying?" His words send me to tears, but not over the letter in my hand. It's over the even bigger pit in my stomach.
One that I've been dealing with alone for months. In the end some things didn't even seem like a big deal, in they end they didn't matter. It was a phase in my life I'd be able to move past if it went south. But this was different, this was defining.
I feel his arms enclose around me without any questions as I just continued to cry. I don't have the words of emotional strength or portray how I feel with him. I don't have the strength to break his heart today. To remove that long loved dream of us.
