HIS WILDFIRE

Torn Between Two

By the time I reached the apartment, I had convinced myself I was done thinking about Ted.

Jaime was my boyfriend. I loved him. Whatever was happening between Ted and me was nothing more than a mistake, one I needed to erase before it got out of hand.

Jaime had tried to get me go back to the chalet with him because he was insecure about Ted and I living under one roof.
"I nearly got murdered because of you and you still want me around you?" Overwhelmed, I let out.

I could clearly read the guilt on Jaime's face.
He didn't utter a word before he entered his truck.

"Stay safe." He said before he drove away.

The moment I walked in, the air in the room shifted.

Ted was still awake, glued to his laptop, but I knew he had been waiting. The glow of the screen highlighted his face, the way his brows furrowed slightly, the way his fingers hovered over the keyboard like he had lost focus.

Like he had been waiting for me.

I shut the door behind me and placed my bag down, ignoring the weight in my chest. "You're still up?"

Ted didn't look up immediately. "Couldn't sleep."

My fingers curled around the edge of the desk. "Since when do you have trouble sleeping?"

He let out a short breath. "Since you started ignoring me."

I froze.

Ted finally looked up, his expression unreadable. "Or should I say, since you ran to your boyfriend and forgot about me?"

My jaw tightened. "Ted..."

"I hope it's working." His voice was even, but there was an edge to it. "I hope being with him makes you stop thinking about me."

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to stay calm. "This conversation isn't happening."

"Yeah? Then why are you still standing there?"

I turned, pretending to search for something in my bag. "Because I live here."

Ted scoffed. "Right. My mistake."

The tension thickened.

I had planned to walk past him, go straight to bed, and shut out whatever I was feeling. But before I could move, Ted spoke again.

"You left my messages on read."

I shut my eyes for a second.

"I had seen them, every single one. The late-night check-ins, the heart emojis, the unspoken feelings between the words.
But, if you hadn't played around, sending me silly love emojis, all this wouldn't have ensued tonight." I barked out.

Ted sighed.

"Tell me you don't feel anything for me, and I'll stop."

I turned to him, arms crossed. "What do you want me to say?"

Ted stood up, closing his laptop. "The truth."

I let out a humorless laugh. "The truth?" I took a step closer, hating the way my heart pounded. "Fine. The truth is, I have a boyfriend. I love him. And whatever you think is happening here, it's not."

Ted tilted his head, watching me. "Then why do you look so conflicted?"

I swallowed.

His gaze softened, but there was something deeper beneath it. "Grandee, just say it."

I shook my head. "Say what?"

"That you feel it too."

My throat tightened.