“I’ll walk you out,” I say, already standing.
Sawyer’s grin returns instantly. “Of course you will.”
I shoot him a look. “Behave.”
He lifts his hands. “I’m just saying …”
Dean cuts in smoothly. “Text him when you get home.”
Melissa smiles. “Will do.”
Outside, the night air is cooler, quieter. The noise of the bar fades behind us, replaced by the hum of the city and the distant sound of traffic.
Kayla steps ahead a few paces, deliberately giving us space.
Melissa stops, turning toward me, hands tucked into her jacket pockets. “I had fun tonight.”
“So did I.”
Her smile is soft. Genuine. “Your friends are … exactly what I expected.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
She laughs. “I mean that in the best way.”
I step closer, lowering my voice. “Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
There’s a pause. A moment where the space between us feels heavier than it should.
She leans in first, pressing a brief, warm kiss to my mouth. It’s not hurried. Not hungry. Just … grounding.
“I’ll text you when we get home,” she says.
“Please do.”
She turns to rejoin Kayla, and I watch them walk down the sidewalk together, their laughter drifting back toward me.
I don’t follow, but every instinct in my body screams to.
I stand there longer than necessary, hands shoved into my pockets, watching until they disappear into the crowd.
Sawyer’s voice carries faintly from inside the bar. “You let her leave?”
I don’t turn around. “Yes.”
“Wow,” he says, stepping up beside me. “You’re really screwed.”
I finally look at him. “Why do you say that?”
He shrugs. “Because you wanted to stop her. You wanted to ask her to spend the night. And you didn’t.”
That hits heavier than anything else tonight.
I head back inside, the noise and lights closing around me again, but the absence beside me is unmistakable.
And for the first time, I understand something I’ve been avoiding all night. This isn’t merely attraction. It’s restraint. And I don’t know how long I can keep choosing it.