Chapter 55

“Would you be willing to walk with me?” Laney asks after a breath. “I have some things on my mind that only seem to process when you are around.”

I try to hide my smirk and I nod and look down at my feet. It’s hard to say no when all I crave is her closeness. Not that I want to say ‘no’ anymore. There is a fluttering in my chest, burning for consolation and the chance to win her back if she would have me. I reach out and take her hand in mine, my eyes finally lifting and catching her deep pool of green.

It’s impossible not to get lost in them for a moment. Flecks of her old golden eyes float around, uniting the past with the present. A foreshadowing, no doubt, of how much more of Laney remains, even with the past still ever prominent in her mind. Perhaps she isn’t so far gone from me as I thought. But can I live with myself if I let her accept me?

“Would you like to discuss them? Or should I walk along in silence?” I ask her. She sighs, taking my hand and entwining our fingers. That