MIDNIGHT SKY.
﹆ . ⁺ . ✦ ﹒₊˚𓂃 ★﹒₊‧
⌞ 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗒-𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾 .ᐟ ⌝

"Dude, face it," Rudy said, his arms crossed as Drew paced across his living room, phone clutched tightly in his hand. "She blocked you."

"No shit, Sherlock." Drew let out an aggravated sigh. His gaze drops to his phone in hand, staring at it as if it could somehow undo the mess he had created. "Fuck."

Drew had been calling Saige's phone relentlessly for the past two days, only to be met each time with the same sharp, unforgiving beep. The sound echoed in his ears, magnifying the turmoil in his gut and leaving him feeling helpless.

Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and his jaw was tight, like he was barely holding himself together. It had been two days since the fiasco with Saige and Daniela, and he had barely slept. His insomnia had returned like it never left, bringing nothing but endless hours of staring at the ceiling, his mind consumed by thoughts of Saige.

Saige, Saige, Saige.

Her face, her voice, her absence—it was all he could think about. The last look she gave him before she left, a mixture of hurt and betrayal, was embedded in his memory, a constant dagger twisting in his chest. He had hurt her. Again. And now, he didn't know how to make it right.

Rudy watched as Drew pace around the living room. After what felt like forever, Drew finally collapsed onto the couch, his head buried in his hands like he could somehow disappear into it. Rudy rolled his eyes, letting out a long sigh as he stood up and plopped down next to him, not bothering to say anything at first. He just let the silence hang there, knowing Drew was probably thinking about Saige again.

"Listen, man," Rudy said. "You're spiraling. I get it, okay? But what the hell are you doing here calling and texting her? It's not gonna fix anything. You need to figure your shit out first."

Drew's jaw clenched. "I did figure it out, okay?" He croaked, frustration laced in his voice. "Why the fuck do you think I've been trying to reach her for the past two days instead of going back to Daniela?"

"Man, why the hell are you calling her and not begging on your knees for forgiveness?"

Drew looked like he was about to punch a hole in the wall. "It's not that easy. You think I can just walk to her and—"

Rudy cuts him off. "Beg on your knees? Of course, you can."

Drew scoffed and shook his head, but then his expression grew serious, as if entertaining the idea. He could. He could beg on his knees. Would it make her listen, though? Knowing Saige, probably.

"Can you be honest with me for a sec?" Rudy interjects through his thoughts. "Where's your head at with Daniela?"

Drew squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rudy slaps his arm. "Aight, let me simplify it for you: do you want her back or not?"

Drew kept quiet, staring down on the carpeted ground. Then, finally, he said, "I... thought I had but when I stood between her and Saige, all I could think about was Saige. The way she looked at me, man? That shit's gonna haunt me to the death. I didn't even care that Daniela was there. All I saw was her. And it makes me so fucking confused." He shook his head again.

"Ah," Rudy said with a knowing smile. He rested his hands on the back of the couch as if he was enjoying this. "The good ol' 'I'm confused' excuse. Classic. Bro, come on, you're not confused. You're just in denial."

"Denial's a river in Egypt," Saige would've said. Her voice echoing through his head like a ghost in the night, haunting him; tormenting him. The thought of her voice, though, nade Drew's lips twitch with the faintest smile but it quickly faded with the weight of reality crashing down on him. Saige wasn't here.

"Here's what I'm thinking," Rudy said. "Go to her. Show up with fucking flowers. And beg on your knees. I'm telling you that'll work on Saige."

Drew stopped for a moment, taking in Rudy's words. He was right. Begging on his knees would be
humiliating. But he didn't care. He wanted Saige. He wanted her to understand; to listen.

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

Rudy shrugged. "It's risky, man. But that's the risk you take when you truly care about someone. Take Saige for example. She took a risk with you even when she knew you were still pining over Dani but she gave it a shot, anyway. And guess what? You dodged it." He said. "The point is at least you tried. At least you showed her. And if Saige means as much to you like you say she does, you owe it to her to fight for her."

Drew stared at the floor for a long moment before nodding deliberately. "She does mean a lot to me, Rudy." He mumbled. His resolve then hardened as he stood from his seat, grabbing his keys and jacket. "I'm leaving."

"Attaboy," Rudy smirked faintly, giving him a thumbs up. "Go get your girl."

Drew then turned to leave but then turned back to Rudy, shotting him an incredulous look. "Thanks for the pep talk, man. I owe you."

"Yeah, yeah," Rudy waved him off. "I'm chilling here 'till you get back or not."

"Yeah, yeah, do whatever you want." Drew said in a hurry, his voice wavering slightly as he made his way towards the door.

"Yo," Rudy called out to him, and Drew turned back, a look of anticipation in his face. "Maybe leave the 'I was confused' act at home and not fuck this up?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he nodded. He didn't answer. He didn't need to. He was already bolting out the door.

His heart raced, his mind still a mess but one thing was for sure: he wasn't backing down now. He wasn't going to let his past ruin his shot with Saige.

Because it was clear as day now. It was Saige he wanted. And if it took every ounce of effort to prove it—including begging on his knees— he was going to do it.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

"So, I said to her, 'you can't keep living in the past, sweetie. It's like trying to drive forward while lookiny st the rearview mirror.'" Mrs. Wallace said, her voice animated.

Saige let out a soft laugh at that, focusing oncgently removing the mask from the older woman's face. "That's good advice." She smiled through her internal turmoil.

"It most definitely is," she chuckled. "And I told my daughter, 'if that man really cared, he'd come to you! Not just call or text. He shows up. Anything less than that is a waste of time.'"

Don't relate. Don't relate. Don't relate.

That wasn't a personal attack, Saige thought, her stomach twisting into knots. But it sure felt like the universe was conspiring against her today. Mondays were bad enough—the first day of the week always seemed to drag—but at least her packed schedule offered a welcome distraction.

It had been two days since she blocked Drew, though the temptation to unblock him was nearly unbearable. The urge clawed at her, persistent and maddening.

Mrs. Wallace kept chatting away, oblivious, while Saige responded with vague hums of agreement. She focused intently on her work, hands steady and her expression neutral, masking the turmoil beneath.

When the session finally ended, Mrs. Wallace departed with a cheerful goodbye, her voice bright and carefree. Saige watched her leave, then leaned against the receptionist's counter, her forced smile melting away the moment the door closed.

"One more appointment to go, and you're done for the day," Harper's voice cut through Saige's thoughts, bringing her back to the present.

"Thanks, Harp. Just let me know when they're here."

With that, Saige retreated to the back room where her belongings were. She reached for her phone, her fingers brushing against it like it might hold the answers she sought. Biting her lip, she stared at the screen, her thumb hovering over it indecisively.

She could practically hear his voice again.

Baby.

He had called her baby in the voicemail he left her.

Saige's heart skipped a beat at that. But almost instantly, her stomach twisted into knots. She clenched her phone tighter, fighting the overwhelming urge to unblock him and call him right then and there.

"Ugh, no," she muttered, yanking her hand back like the phone had burned her. She started pacing the small room, shaking her hands out. "Nope. You are not doing this, Saige. Make him suffer!" She said firmly, glaring at her phone like it was Drew himself. She then jabbed a finger toward the gadget. "Suffer!"

Then, a notification popped up on her phone, and she snatched it up without thinking. She didn't know what she was hoping for—maybe an apology, maybe some closure—but it definitely wasn't a text from Raella.

Saige frowned at the disappointment that settled in the pit of her stomach, sharp and sudden. It didn't make sense to feel this let down, and yet it was there, twisting uncomfortably inside her.

Then the realization hit her: Drew had two days to make a move, two days to fight for her. And all she'd gotten was silence.

Sure, she had blocked him. But if she had really mattered, wouldn't he have found another way to reach her? Wouldn't he have shown up?

After finishing her last appointment of the day, Saige's hands felt numb, and a dull ache had started to settle in her head. She left the clinic, giving Harper a quick goodbye before greeting the esthetician who was taking over her shift.

As she walked to her car, the weight of the day seemed to lift, but her mind kept drifting back to Drew.f

She wasn't going to deny it—she missed him. She did. But she was hurt. Hurt that he hadn't chosen her. Hurt that he hadn't made an effort to fix whatever had gone wrong between them.

But then again, who was she to ask for those things? She didn't have the right, did she?

She was just the girl who stuck around. The girl who believed him when he said he wanted to try. The girl who thought they had something real when, in the end, it was clear they didn't.

Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.

But she swallowed hard and refused to let them fall.

Moments later, Saige turned the wheel into the parking lot of their apartment complex. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes landed on the car parked right next to her usual spot. And him.

Drew fucking Starkey.

He was leaning casually against his car, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and an iced coffee in the other.

Iced coffee. Her favorite. Her weakness.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." She muttered under her breath.

She turned the engine off, sitting frozen in her seat for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, she took a deep breath and got out of the car, slamming the door behind her with a force that echoed in the quiet lot.

Drew immediately straightened up when he saw Saige walking toward him, his expression a blend of hope and regret that made her stomach twist in the worst way possible.

"Saige," he began, his voice strained.

"What are you doing here?" Saige asked, her tone calm but distant.

"I came to apologize... and explain," he said, his words coming out in a rush. "I know I don't deserve to be heard, but please, hear me out."

Saige fell silent, her mind racing as she weighed her options. After a tense beat, she met his gaze, her eyes flickering with the slightest hint of agreement. Seeing this, Drew took a cautious step closer, his face pleading.

"I... wasn't expecting her to come to my apartment, okay?" Drew exhaled, his voice shaky. "It wasn't what it looked like. I thought it was you who knocked, and then she just pushed past me and went inside. And then you showed up. Please, believe me. Please."

Saige's heart skipped a beat, the weight of his words crashing over her. For a moment, everything seemed to blur as the truth—his truth—echoed in her mind.

The look on his face spoke volumes. He was telling the truth, and she believed him.

But that didn't make it any easier. Forgiving him would mean pretending everything was fine, and she couldn't do that. Not yet.

The mess between them was far from untangling. She could see the regret in his eyes, the internal struggle, but it wasn't enough to erase the doubt that lingered. Was he really here for her? Or was she still just a fallback, a second choice to Daniela?

The thought twisted her insides. What if she forgave him, only to find out that Daniela was still in his mind? Saige didn't know if she could bear the weight of being second after everything they'd been through. She didn't know if she could trust him enough to risk the heartache again.

And the image of Daniela begging her to let him go. Her words. She couldn't get it off her mind.

Maybe you're just a rebound.

She swallowed hard. "Look, Drew..." She held her breath before saying, "I... I think you should just get back with Daniela."

She paused for a moment, watching as Drew's face fell, the bouquet of flowers drooping slightly with it. She noticed the way his shoulders slumped and the way his throat bobbed up and down as he continued to look her, his eyes filled with so much remorse.

Saige's eyes stinged. And she knew the tears were coming. But she didn't want him to see her so... weak.

Drew's expression crumpled, and the bouquet he held seemed to symbolize all the regret in the world, slipping from his fingers, much like the weight of the situation pressing on both of them.

Saige's heart twisted as she watched him, the remorse clear in every line of his face. She had imagined this moment so many times, but now that it was happening, it felt so wrong—like something she wasn't ready for. The tears that threatened to fall were a reminder of just how much she'd invested and how little it seemed to matter now.

She swallowed hard, her chest tightening. "I don't want to see you like this," she whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady. But it wasn't for him. She wasn't trying to make him feel better. It was for her. "So I think it's better if we just... let this go."

The weight of the words fell heavily between them. Her fingers trembled, but she clenched them into fists, trying to steady herself.

"What are you saying, Saige?" Drew's voice cracked, full of desperation.

Saige hesitated, the sight of his pain twisting her insides. But she steeled herself, taking a breath to steady her racing heart. "Whatever we had, Drew, let's just end it." Her words felt like they were tearing at her chest. She choked on the finality, but she pushed through, holding firm. "It was never going to work anyway." She said, her voice small but resolute.

And with that, she turned, moving past him, each step feeling heavier than the last.

But just as she was about to walk away, she halted. Her breath caught in her throat as the tears she'd been holding back fell, hot and relentless. Slowly, she turned to look back at him, only to see his back to her. His shoulders slumped in defeat, his head bowed, frozen in place as if her words had turned him to stone.

"You know," Saige began, her voice quiet but sharp, catching Drew's attention. He spun around, his eyes glassy as though he'd been fighting back tears, a silent plea written all over his face.

The sight of him like that constricted her throat, her heart aching in response. Why was this so damn hard? She wanted to rush to him, wrap her arms around him, kiss away the distance between them—but she couldn't. Not yet. It wasn't that simple. Not until he proved she was more than just a second choice.

With a shaky breath, she continued, her words trembling, "I knew you were going to break my heart. And I really, really hoped you wouldn't. But I guess I was wrong."

That was all she could say before she turned, her heel clicking against the pavement as she walked away.

She liked Drew. God, she liked him more than she could ever admit. But she was too hurt to care about the flowers or the gestures. No bouquet or iced coffee was going to heal the wound he'd left behind. Not now.

All she needed was space to breathe. To think.

And maybe, just maybe, she'd go back to him. Because despite everything, despite how many times he'd broken her heart, it was still his to break. Always.

GWYN'S NOTE.
ఌ︎
i'm sorry guys!! i promise i'll make it all better soon :((

also, lil shameless plug, but i already posted the prelude for my rafe cameron au fanfic! check it out if you want! i'm planning to dive into writing it once this book is finished so stay tuned! love u all x