Broken Rules

Chapter Twenty Five

I snap and unsnap the cap of my pen in my hand, my gaze fixed on the computer screen displaying the chapter I'm supposed to be writing. However, my mind isn't focused on the book at all; it's occupied with replaying the last six days' worth of text messages between Wells and me. I tell myself not to read too much into them, but things just feel different.

When I woke up this morning, I found a text from him that simply said, 'Good morning.'

That was it. That was all there was—nothing before or after. Just 'Good morning.' I waited for about half an hour, expecting more, but nothing else came. So, I texted him back, returning the greeting with a 'Good morning' as well.

These are not the kind of text messages you send to a coworker; these are the kind of text messages you send to someone you're seeing, someone you're interested in, someone you are dating. And we aren't any of those things.

It's confusing. I'm confused.

I type another sentence on my laptop, attempting to regain focus, only to erase it all in frustration. I sigh, glancing around Hansens Coffee. I absentmindedly pick up my pen and bite onto the cap of it, scanning for any sign of Wells.

It's almost four o'clock, just a few minutes away from the time he told me to meet him here. There's been this knot of anxiousness coiled in my stomach since I woke up this morning, refusing to dissipate. I've never been nervous to talk to Wells. Before all of this, I'd just be irritated that I had to be around him and it's weirding me out.

What's even more weird about this whole situation, aside from the fact that we've been constantly texting since he left on Tuesday, is that— I miss him. A lot.

I'm not supposed to miss him, but I do. More than I ever missed Beckett, and we were together for two years.

And then there's the fact Wells hinted that he missed me too. He didn't say it directly, but the implication was crystal clear.

It's all I've been doing.

I keep finding myself scrolling back to that text, wondering if I misinterpreted it or if he meant it in a different way, wondering maybe if he doesn't actually mean it. But I keep coming up with the same conclusion— he misses me too.

I scrunch my eyes together, trying not to overthink it because I'm not supposed to feel this way. This wasn't part of the deal. It was supposed to be strictly physical—sex, something that would come to an end once summer was over. But now, I feel like I'm going find myself stuck in a hole and I won't be able to climb out of at the end of it all.

Because yes, I like him.

I like him a lot.

"Hey."

"Oh shit," I gasp, my hand darting to my chest as I snap my laptop shut. I turn to see Delaney walking around, coming to stand in front of my table. "You scared me."