Rejected by One, Wanted by Another

The Breaking Point

The atmosphere in the small apartment remained tense, despite the cool rain outside. Jonathan seemed to realize he had pushed too far. He saw the way her lip trembled, the way her eyes searched his for a lie she couldn't find. He sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his damp hair.

"I’m going to go make some coffee," he muttered, "You can take the bed. I'll stay on the couch until the rain stops."

He turned to walk away, the muscles in his back tensing as he tried to put distance between them. He was giving her space; the very thing a "gentleman" was supposed to do.

But Lucy didn't want space. For years, space was all she had known. Adrian had given her miles of space, cold and empty, until she felt like she was drifting away.

"Jonathan, wait."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it stopped him in his tracks. He didn't turn around immediately.

Lucy moved before she could talk herself out of it. Her bare feet were silent on the floor as she reached out and grabbed the hem of his hand. she held him tightly , her fingers curling into his palm. She stepped closer, pressing her forehead against his shoulder blade. He was so warm, and she was still so, so cold.

"Don't go," she breathed. "Please. Just... stay."

Jonathan froze. For a heartbeat, he didn't move. Then, he turned slowly, his eyes dark with a hunger that terrified and thrilled her all at once.

"Lucy," he warned, his voice a low vibration. "You don't know what you're asking for. You're upset, and you're tired, and I'm…"

"You're the only person who came for me," she interrupted, looking up at him through her lashes.

The tension that had been building since they first met in that hallway, through every argument in class and every shared look in the coffee shop, finally snapped.

Jonathan’s hand came up, his fingers tangling in her damp hair as he tilted her head back. He didn't hesitate this time. He leaned down and crushed his lips against hers.

It wasn't the polite and distant kiss that Adrian gave her at family dinners. This was desperate and possessive. It tasted of rain and coffee. She could feel the longing that had been suppressed for too long.

Lucy let out a soft moan against his mouth, her hands moving up to his chest. She felt the raw power of him, the way he pulled her against his body as if he wanted to merge their very souls. For the first time in her life, Lucy didn't feel like a family obligation. She felt wanted. She felt like a woman whose presence was a necessity, not a choice.

She kissed him back with equal intensity, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders, drawing him closer. In the heat of that kiss, the memory of Adrian, the wedding date, and the failing business faded into nothing. There was only the sound of the storm and the fire of Jonathan’s touch.

But as quickly as it had started, it ended.

Jonathan suddenly moved his mouth away, his breathing uneven. He placed his hands on her shoulders and firmly pushed her back, creating a gap between them that felt too big.

His chest was heaving, his eyes wide as he looked at her. The passion was still there, but it was rapidly being replaced by regret.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice sounding strangled. He stepped back, his hands dropping to his sides. "I shouldn't have done that. I... I shouldn't have touched you."

Lucy stood there, her lips swollen and her heart racing a thousand miles an hour. She felt like she had been dropped from a great height. "Jonathan?

"It’s late," he said, his face hardened. "Take the bed, Lucy. We’ll get you back to campus in the morning."

He didn't look at her again. He grabbed a spare blanket from the corner and walked to the small sofa, turning his back to her.

Lucy remained standing in the center of the room. Her body was still humming from his touch, her lips still tingling from his kiss. One second he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, and the next, he was apologizing for it as if it were a mistake.

She crawled into his bed, the scent of him surrounded her, but sleep couldn’t come. She lay awake, listening to the rain and the sound of Jonathan’s steady breathing from the couch, her mind was completely shattered.

He had saved her from the rain, but he had left her in a different kind of storm, one where she no longer knew who she was, or whose heart she was supposed to keep.