Drawn To You (GirlxGirl)

Part 46

Allie's P.O.V

It had been two weeks since I left Jessie's apartment, and I hadn't seen her since. Every day, a dull ache throbbed in my gut, like I had lost something vital and irreplaceable. And maybe I had.

Letting go of Jessie had been the hardest thing I'd ever done. That still surprised me, especially considering how easily I had left my marriage months ago.

I was still living at Casey's place, and I had told Mark that if things were going to work between us, we had to move slowly, cautiously. He hated the idea, of course. He wanted me back in the house, to pick up where we had left off. But he didn't push, and for that, I was grateful.

"Hey, Al, what are you doing tonight?" Casey asked, leaning against the doorframe of my room as I sat in front of the mirror, running a brush through my hair. "Lola's coming over, so I thought we could have a movie night."

I paused, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "I'm sorry, but Mark's taking me out," I replied, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.

"So things are going well with him, then?" she asked, her voice casual but with an edge of curiosity.

"Yeah, I guess," I said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than I felt. "We're taking things slow, and there's no pressure. It's... nice."

Casey sighed softly. "Okay, I wasn't going to say anything, but... what are you doing, Al? You left Mark for a reason. And you and Jessie—"

"Don't," I cut her off, my heart clenching at the mention of Jessie's name. "Things with Jessie also ended for a reason, Casey." I sighed, setting down my brush. "I'm nearly thirty years old. I can't leave a marriage with a man I've built a life with for a woman."

"Then how come you haven't moved back into Mark's place yet?" she asked, her tone more gentle now, but her question hit me like a cold slap.

I had no answer. If I had left Jessie because I wanted to be with Mark, I'd be back in our house, settling into my old life. But that wasn't why I'd walked away.

I had left Jessie out of fear—fear of the unknown, fear of stepping into a world that wasn't safe and predictable. A world I didn't understand.

Casey didn't press further. She just gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher before she turned and walked out of the room.

I glanced at my watch, my heart heavy as I stood up, grabbed my coat, and left to meet Mark.

It was a bitterly cold evening, and the streets of Glasgow were bustling, full of people darting from pub to pub, trying to escape the chill.

When I arrived at the pub Mark had picked, he was already waiting outside, his breath visible in the frosty air. His face lit up as I approached, and he pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Hey," he said warmly, holding me close.

I hugged him back, smiling, even though the familiar ache in my chest didn't fade. I had been trying to smile for weeks now. I had to try. Because if I didn't, was any of this worth it?

We walked inside together, the pub noisy and warm. It wasn't somewhere I would have chosen—dark and a little dingy, the smell of old wood and beer hanging in the air—but it was fine. We found a table near the back and sat down.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Mark said, his voice soft as he looked at me.

I appreciated the effort he was making. I really did. But his words didn't stir anything in me. Not like they had when Jessie said them.