▌𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚
❛ do you know how 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 frustrating it is? ❜ he cut her off. ❛ to have to 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 you? to pretend like i don't feel 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 when i look at you?❜
starr's breath caught in her throat.
❛ because i do...
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chapter FORTY FOUR
showtime .
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the next morning felt... different.
everything looked the same — sunlight streaming through the blinds, the faint clatter of dylan making coffee — but there was this tension simmering under the surface. like the whole house was holding its breath.
starr sat at the kitchen island, spoon stirring through her cereal as dylan scrolled through his phone across from her. she could feel him watching her, even if he never looked directly.
she hadn't slept. her mind had been replaying everything from last night — seeing him with ahliya, bumping into mason, the way everything finally started clicking into place.
"you're quiet today."
his voice cut through the silence, light and easy — like he actually gave a shit.
starr glanced up, forcing a small smile.
"just tired."
dylan nodded slowly, eyes flicking back to his phone.
"thought so... you've been a bit off lately."
that was it.
those little comments he always dropped so carelessly — like he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. making her second-guess herself without ever outright accusing her of anything.
except now she saw it for what it was.
"maybe." she shrugged. "just got a lot on my mind, i guess."
his gaze flicked up again, but only for a second.
"nothing you need to be worrying about."
he said it so easily, so fucking... sweetly. like he was trying to convince her he was doing her a favour.
