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IT HAD BEEN A WEEK since jaxon had fully decided to stay with lily, and at first, things had been comfortable. they fell into their old routine—nights spent at her apartment, going to the same spots they used to frequent, and enjoying the easy, no-strings-attached vibe that had once defined their relationship.
but the more time jaxon spent with her, the more he felt the growing distance between what he wanted and what he had. lily wasn't doing anything wrong; she was sweet, affectionate, and always willing to make things light. but that was the problem. everything felt surface-level. and after everything he'd been through with sabrina, surface-level wasn't enough anymore.
he sat in the studio with his guitar, trying to focus on some new chords, but the music wasn't coming to him. his thoughts kept drifting to sabrina, to the emotional depth their relationship had carried—despite all the chaos, despite the trust issues.
why can't i just move on? he thought, strumming aimlessly. this is what i wanted, right?
"you good, man?" dylan asked, glancing over from the keyboard.
jaxon shook his head, setting his guitar aside. "i don't know. i've been off for a while now."
ross looked up from his phone. "this about lily?"
jaxon hesitated, then nodded. "yeah. i mean, she's great, but..."
"but she's not sabrina," jack finished for him, giving him a knowing look.
jaxon sighed, leaning back in his chair. "it's not just that. i thought being with lily would help me move on, you know? she's easy to be with. no drama, no complications. but it's like... something's missing."
ross raised an eyebrow. "maybe because you're still hung up on sabrina."
jaxon's jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it. deep down, he knew ross was right. no matter how much he tried to pretend that being with lily was what he needed, the truth was staring him in the face—he wasn't over sabrina. not even close.
"so what are you gonna do?" dylan asked, his voice serious.
jaxon rubbed his hands over his face, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "i don't know. i don't want to keep dragging this out with lily, but... i don't want to hurt her either."
ross shrugged. "sometimes you gotta hurt people to do what's right for yourself."
the words hit jaxon hard, and he knew ross was right. staying with lily out of guilt wasn't fair to either of them. but the thought of ending things with her—again—felt like stepping back into a mess he didn't want to deal with.
_______________
while jaxon was grappling with his own feelings, sabrina was sitting at her kitchen table, staring at her phone. the messages from barry had been coming in regularly—he was kind, thoughtful, and always checking in on her, making sure she was okay.
