Chapter 37 Jump Then Fall
Jump Then Fall
Dylan
Dylan stared at the phone.
And stared.
The screen dimmed, but he tapped it once to bring it back. Read the message again.
I’m okay. I’m so sorry. I fell asleep on the couch. Ashley just got home and she’s upset. I need to be here with her tonight. I’ll call you in the morning. I love you.
His thumb hovered over the screen, but he didn’t type anything back yet.
He just…sat there.
In the dim glow of his bedroom, with the hum of the A/C rattling in the corner, he sat straight up in his bed and read the message for the fifth time.
She said I love you.
Not a flirty “love ya” or a “k love you bye” kind of thing. No emojis. No softener. Just those three words, plain and quiet like they didn’t carry weight.
But they did.
To him, they always had.
He rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw tightening.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her. God, he wanted to believe her.
But she’d been sleepy. Rushed. Distracted.
Probably slipped into old habits. Her best friend was hurting, and Ali always showed up for the people she loved—even when it cost her something.
Had she even realized she wrote it?
He’d been so careful. So fucking careful. Letting things build. Letting her feel safe. Letting her take the lead when she needed to. Because the last time he’d told her he loved her, she’d broken down and told him goodbye.
This felt different.
This was different.
Still, he didn’t text back right away.
He let the weight of it settle. Let himself feel it. The ache of not hearing her voice tonight. The sweetness of those three words. The uncertainty wrapped inside them.
She might not have meant to say it.
But she’d said it.
And whether she knew it or not—he’d been hers the whole damn time.
He finally picked up the phone, stared at the screen once more, and typed slowly.
Sleep tight, baby. I’ll be here when you’re ready to say it out loud.
He paused. Then sent one more text:
I love you too.