Chapter 24 - Ginny Ends It
Ginny didn't sleep.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying every second of the gala.
The comment.
Jayna's voice.
If you're looking for an exit, Ginny, just say it.
The worst part?
Jayna hadn't sounded angry.
She'd sounded prepared.
Like she'd already braced herself for Ginny to run.
And that realization hurt more than anything else.
Because maybe Jayna knew her better than she wanted to admit.
—
The next afternoon, Apple burst into Ginny's apartment uninvited, holding iced coffee and judgment.
"You look like someone who just realized she has feelings," Apple announced, kicking off her shoes dramatically.
"I don't have feelings," Ginny muttered from the couch.
Apple narrowed her eyes. "You look like someone who definitely has feelings."
Ginny buried her face in a pillow.
"I messed up."
Apple gasped theatrically. "Oh my God. Did you accidentally propose for real this time?"
"No!"
"...Did you?"
Ginny groaned.
Apple plopped down beside her. "Okay. Start from the top."
Ginny stared at the ceiling again. "I kissed her."
Apple froze.
"You what?"
"I kissed her," Ginny repeated weakly. "After my ex confronted me. It was impulsive and dramatic and very me."
Apple blinked twice. "Was it good?"
Ginny's silence answered the question.
Apple slowly leaned back. "Oh no."
"It felt real," Ginny whispered.
"And that's the problem?"
Ginny turned her head. "Yes."
Apple studied her carefully, for once not joking. "You're scared."
"I'm realistic," Ginny snapped. "Jayna is steady. She's disciplined. She builds things. I... decorate them temporarily."
"That's poetic and deeply unhelpful."
Ginny sat up abruptly. "Someone at the gala said she deserves someone serious."
Apple rolled her eyes. "People at galas also think beige is a personality."
"But what if they're right?" Ginny's voice cracked. "What if I'm just playing house while she's actually capable of loving someone long-term?"
Apple softened slightly. "So your solution is...?"
Ginny swallowed.
"To end it."
—
Jayna was at her clinic when Ginny arrived.
The waiting room smelled like antiseptic and mint tea. Patients flipped through magazines. A receptionist offered Ginny a polite smile.
"She's finishing up with a client," the receptionist said. "You can wait."
Ginny nodded, hands cold despite the air-conditioning.
She watched Jayna through the glass office wall.
Focused.
Professional.
Carefully adjusting a patient's posture with gentle precision.
Jayna laughed at something the patient said, soft and warm.
Ginny's chest tightened painfully.
She deserves someone serious.
When Jayna finally stepped out and saw her, surprise flickered across her face.
"Ginny?"
"Can we talk?" Ginny asked.
Jayna studied her expression for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Of course."
They stepped into Jayna's office. The door clicked shut.
Silence.
Ginny suddenly hated how small the room felt.
"What's going on?" Jayna asked.
Straightforward. Calm.
Always calm.
Ginny clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking.
"I think we need to end it."
The words fell between them like something fragile shattering.
Jayna didn't react immediately.
"End what?" she asked quietly.
"The engagement. The pretending. All of it." Ginny forced herself to continue before she could lose her nerve. "It was just a lie, Jayna."
The air shifted.
Jayna's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"I know it started as one," she said evenly.
"Yes, and it should've stayed that way." Ginny laughed nervously. "We took it too far. It's messy now."
"Messy how?" Jayna asked.
Ginny looked away. "Feelings make things messy."
There.
She'd admitted it without fully admitting it.
Jayna took a slow breath. "So instead of dealing with it, you'd rather shut it down."
"That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" Jayna's voice was still controlled, but something underneath it trembled. "You kissed me."
Ginny's heart pounded.
"I know."
"And now you're telling me it was just part of the act?"
Ginny hesitated for half a second too long.
Jayna noticed.
"That's what this is, right?" Ginny said quickly. "We blurred lines. It happens."
Jayna stared at her like she was trying to memorize her.
"Look at me," Jayna said softly.
Ginny didn't want to.
But she did.
And the hurt in Jayna's eyes almost made her take everything back.
"Was it just a lie?" Jayna asked.
Ginny's throat closed.
If she said no, everything would change.
If she said yes, she'd lose her.
She chose the safer destruction.
"Yes."
The word tasted like ash.
Jayna nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Just that.
Okay.
No shouting. No begging. No dramatic speech.
Which somehow hurt more than if she'd yelled.
Jayna stepped back slightly, creating space between them.
"We can tell people it didn't work out," she said. "That's believable."
Professional. Controlled.
Ginny felt like she was watching a door close in real time.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Jayna gave her a small, tight smile. "You don't have to apologize. It was an arrangement."
The distance in her tone made Ginny's chest ache.
She'd done this.
She'd chosen this.
"I should get back to work," Jayna said after a moment.
Of course she should.
Because Jayna didn't fall apart in the middle of the day.
Ginny nodded numbly.
As she reached the door, Jayna spoke again.
"For what it's worth," she said quietly, "I never thought you were incapable of being serious."
Ginny froze.
Jayna continued, "I just thought you were afraid."
That hit too close to the truth.
Ginny didn't turn around.
"Goodbye, Jayna."
She left before her resolve could crack.
Outside, the world looked the same.
Cars passed. People walked. The sky was bright.
But something inside her had shifted permanently.
She'd ended the fake engagement.
She'd protected herself.
So why did it feel like she'd just broken something real?