Every glance we shared after that broke me a little further. Each fleeting look was a sharp reminder of what we were heading toward—days spent apart, trying to make sense of this complicated knot we’d tied ourselves into. Every touch felt like a step closer to an inevitable goodbye, a countdown I had started myself. Still, I was resolute. I knew we needed this separation to figure out what we truly meant to each other, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. The way Jack’s eyes softened whenever they landed on me, the way his hands lingered as if memorizing the feel of my skin, made it clear just how much pain my decision was causing him.
I had known this was going to hurt him since the moment I woke up that morning. As soon as my eyes opened and I saw Jack’s face relaxed in sleep beside m
