I paced in front of the window, watching the way the sunlight slanted across the street, the shadows of the trees stretching long onto the sidewalk. It was a quiet day in the bookstore, a calm contrast to the whirlwind of thoughts spiraling inside my mind.

Max had just left for his meeting about the new bookstore branch, and I had been left behind, alone with my thoughts. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for him. I was. More than I could put into words. The idea of the bookstore expanding, reaching more people, was exactly the kind of thing Max had always dreamed about. He deserved it. He deserved every success that came his way.

But me? I wasn't so sure.

I had always been a wanderer, never staying in one place too long. My past had taught me that nothing was ever permanent, that people and places changed. I had learned to keep moving, to never let myself get too comfortable. And that had worked for me, for a long time.

But now? Now I was standing at a crossroads, staring down a future that wasn't so easy to walk away from.

I pressed my hand to the cool glass of the window, my breath fogging up the surface for a moment. Max had changed everything. He had given me a reason to stay, a reason to consider a life I had never thought possible. A life where I didn't have to run. A life where maybe, just maybe, I could settle down and put down roots.

But the fear still clung to me, like a shadow I couldn't shake. The fear of getting too attached, of letting myself care too much. Because if I cared too much, I would have something to lose. And I wasn't sure I could handle that.

I turned away from the window, my fingers running through my hair as I tried to calm the storm inside me. What was I supposed to do?

The bookstore was a part of my life now, and Max was a part of my life. But that didn't mean everything was figured out. It didn't mean I could just drop all my walls and let myself fall into a future that was so uncertain.

Max had this way of making everything feel so easy. He was confident, steady in a way that I admired, and for a long time, I had let myself think that his confidence was enough to carry us both. But now? Now I wasn't sure if I could let myself stay. I wasn't sure if I could trust that the things I was building with him would last.

I sat down at one of the tables, pushing my hands through my hair in frustration. I had never been good at staying still, at letting things fall into place without overthinking them. I had always needed control. I had always needed to know what came next.

But with Max, everything felt different.

The sound of the doorbell jingling brought me back to the present, and I glanced up to see Max walking through the door, his face a little more serious than usual. The meeting had gone well, I could tell from the way he walked in with purpose, but the tension I had felt earlier still lingered. He had always been an open book to me, but today, there was something he wasn't saying.

He caught my eye, offering me a small smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey," he said, walking over to the counter.

"Hey," I replied, standing up. "How'd it go?"

He ran a hand through his hair, something he did when he was trying to process everything. "Good. Really good, actually. But..." He trailed off, looking at me with a mix of uncertainty and determination. "Liv, we have a real shot at making this work. This expansion—it could be everything. But I need to know if you're with me on this."

I could feel the weight of his words settle over me like a heavy blanket. He was asking me for something. Not just my opinion, but my commitment. And in that moment, I realized what was at stake.

I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words, but they felt stuck. My heart was pounding, my chest tight with anxiety. I wanted to tell him that I was ready, that I was on board with whatever came next. But the truth was, I wasn't sure.

"Max," I started, my voice shaky, "I don't know if I'm ready for that. I don't know if I can stay in one place for something like that. I've spent my whole life running from things like this. From... commitments."

He frowned, walking closer. "You're not running from me, Liv. I'm not asking you to be someone you're not. I just... I want you with me. For this. For the bookstore. For us."

I wanted to tell him I was scared, that the idea of staying—of building something that could potentially break me—was terrifying. But instead, I just looked at him, my heart aching with the intensity of it all.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I don't want to mess this up."

Max reached out, cupping my face in his hands, his touch warm and reassuring. "Liv, you're not going to mess it up. But I can't do this alone. I don't want to."

I closed my eyes for a moment, his words sinking in. It wasn't about whether or not I could keep up with him or his dreams—it was about whether or not I could allow myself to be a part of it. To be a part of him.

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. "I'm scared, Max. I'm scared of staying. Of letting myself care."

He didn't pull away. Instead, he stepped closer, his forehead resting against mine. "It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too. But we don't have to figure everything out right now. We can take it one step at a time."

The words were simple, but they felt like a lifeline. A lifeline I wasn't sure I was ready to grab hold of. But as I stood there with him, something shifted. Maybe I didn't have to have it all figured out. Maybe, just maybe, I could stay.

"I'll try," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll try, Max. For you. For us."

A slow, relieved smile spread across his face, and he kissed me softly, the kind of kiss that made everything feel right again, even if just for a moment.

"I don't need you to have all the answers," he said, his voice low and steady. "I just need you to stay with me."

I nodded, my chest feeling lighter than it had in days. I didn't know what the future held, or if I was ready to give up my constant need to run. But I knew one thing for sure: I didn't want to walk away from Max. Not now, not ever.