No Feelings, Just This

Millie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re not wrong,” she said, a hint of humor in her voice. “I say what I think, even when I probably shouldn’t. And I usually regret it after.” She shrugged. “Cara’s always telling me I don’t think things through—and she’s right. I might seem clueless sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get what’s going on.”

Ethan shifted onto his back. “Then you get that what happens here stays here. I might like you, Amelia. Maybe more than I should. But that’s all it is. I don’t do feelings.”

His words hit like cold air, clearing out whatever warmth was left. Millie blinked, trying to keep her expression steady, but the sting was there.

She stared at the ceiling. Ethan’s fiancée flashed in her mind. Was that why he kept his walls up? Was he still stuck in the past—with someone he’d lost? Still in love with her? Trapped in guilt and grief, not ready—or maybe not able—to let go?

She lifted her chin, hiding the sting of his words behind a flat, practiced