Chapter 303 : Digging Deeper

*Lucas*

The sting of rejection was immediate, sharp. It burrowed deep, and I struggled to keep my face neutral, though my insides twisted painfully. "More time," I echoed, trying to mask the hurt with a shrug. "Sure, I get it."

But I didn’t, not really. We’d danced around each other for weeks, and I thought... No, it didn't matter what I thought. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and looked away from her. I wanted to go back to before. Before I had spoken. Before she had rejected me. Back when she had been unaware of my approach and continued to paint, lost in a world crafted by her own hand.

The afternoon light had caught the blonde strands of her hair, turning them to spun gold against the backdrop of a calm sky. God, she was so beautiful. There was something about her—a mix of vulnerability and strength—that made me want more. I thought she’d wanted that too, that we’d moved past everything that had happened.

But, clearly, I had been wrong.