Chapter Twenty-Five
Annie
Last night, Mum kept me distracted, and we managed to have a decent time, well, as decent as it can be when it feels like you’ve just blown up your entire life.
I was okay. Not great, but okay.
But now, as we walk toward the jet and I remember I promised Aston I’d talk to him today, unease coils tightly in my chest. I can feel him nearby, like I always do, and even though every instinct is telling me to turn around and run, I force myself to keep moving.
Mum stays close beside me as we step onto the tarmac and climb the stairs to the private jet. Inside, Tamara greets us and hands Mum one of her pills to help calm her nerves. Mum hates flying, which is ironic considering how much she travels these days.
We move down into the cabin, and there he is.
Aston sits with Caleb and Chad.
Of course he does.
He looks up the second I step inside, and for a brief moment, his face softens, until it doesn’t. The smile fades, replaced by something heavier, something that makes my chest hurt. I bite my bottom lip and walk straight past him.
“You okay?” Mum murmurs beside me.
I nod, not trusting my voice enough to answer, then slide into my usual seat, and Ella moves in beside me by the window, like she always does.
It’s been a while since we’ve been on Dad’s tour jet, the last time feels like forever ago, but being here again should feel exciting.
It should feel like everything I’ve ever wanted.
“Taking off in twenty minutes,” Dad announces from the aisle. “Belfast tonight.”
I force a smile. “Can’t wait. It’s going to be a great show.”
He studies me for a moment, clearly not convinced. “Only if you’re up to it, Annie. Just be honest with me.”
“I’m fine,” I say, though my gaze drifts down the cabin without permission and straight to Aston. He’s not engaged in whatever Caleb and Chad are saying. His head is down, shoulders tense, like he’s somewhere else entirely.
Something twists deep inside me.
“I’m okay,” I repeat quietly. “But there’s something I need to do.”
They all follow my line of sight, and Mum’s expression softens instantly. “Do you want me to come with you?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No. I need to do this on my own.”
Standing feels harder than it should. My legs are heavy, my heart pounding so loudly I’m sure everyone can hear it, but I push through it and make my way toward him anyway. Before I even reach him, he turns like he felt me coming.
Our eyes meet.
His breath catches.
So does mine.
“Lennox,” he says softly, like my name is something fragile.
I swallow, trying to steady myself. “Can we talk?”
Caleb and Chad glance between us, reading the tension immediately.
Aston nods, uncertain but willing.
“Maybe somewhere private?”
Another nod, and he stands. He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away before he can touch me.
His jaw tightens, his gaze drops to the floor, and guilt slices through me sharper than I expect.
I turn quickly before he can see the tears building in my eyes and head toward the back of the jet.
He follows without a word, keeping just enough distance that I can feel him without being touched by him.
Inside the small office, I move straight to the desk and lean against it, needing the support more than I want to admit. Aston closes the door behind him, and the silence that follows feels heavy like it’s pressing in on both of us.
“Why do I get the feeling this is goodbye?” he asks quietly, stepping closer.
I draw in a breath, but it doesn’t steady me the way I hoped. “We’re in a band together,” I say. “There’s no such thing as goodbye.”
He exhales slowly and drops onto the sofa, elbows resting on his knees as he buries his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, Annie,” he says, his voice rough. “I never meant to mess this up. You… you mean everything to me. I just want us to be okay.”
Something inside me wavers, but I force it down. “I think it would be better if Ella stood on your side of the stage tonight,” I say instead.
He looks up, eyes already glassy. “Okay,” he whispers.
“Maybe from now on.”
His head snaps up. “What?”
“I think we should keep our distance.”
He slumps back, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. “Jesus, Annie…” he mutters. “How did it get like this? Yesterday we were happy. We were… us. And now this? All because I said three words?”
I close my eyes, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose. “I can’t trust you—”
“You can’t trust me?” he cuts in, standing abruptly. “Annie, you’ve known me your whole life. You know when I’m lying… you’ve always known.” He steps closer, closing the space between us. “You know me,” he says, his voice tight with emotion. “You know I wasn’t lying. Not last night. Not now.”
My breathing stutters as he stops right in front of me.
“If those words make you uncomfortable, I won’t say them again,” he continues. “But don’t push me away because of it.” He’s so close now I can feel his warmth, smell him, and it’s enough to make my thoughts scatter.
His fingers tilt my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze.
My eyes drop to his lips.
I lick mine without thinking.
A faint smile touches his mouth. “If you don’t want me…
” he murmurs, “… you need to say it. Because right now your body’s telling me something completely different.
” My entire body trembles. “Tell me you don’t want this.
” He leans in and kisses me, soft, careful, like he’s giving me a choice. And for a second, I give in.
Because he is my weakness.
Because I have never been able to resist him.
But I won’t let it go any further and pull back.
His eyes search mine, hope flickering there, and our breathing turns uneven—too fast, too loud.
Fuck, I hate this.
“Aston…” I whisper.
He smiles faintly. “Yeah, baby?”
“I can’t be with you.” The words come out quietly, but they hit hard.
His expression fractures instantly. “Annie… you felt that, right?” he says, stepping back, frustration creeping in.
“Feeling something doesn’t make it right,” I reply. “I’m not good for you. I’m not someone worth loving, and you shouldn’t have lied about it.”
He turns away, running his hand through his hair again. “You know what? Maybe you’re right—”
His words slam into me like a punch.
My chest pulls painfully.
“I didn’t mean that,” he says quickly, turning back. “I’m just… frustrated. You’re so stuck in your past you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” His voice softens, breaking slightly. “Your future is with me, Lennox.”
“Aston, just stop. Maybe in some ideal world we would work out, but I don’t see that happening. You need to forget about me—”
“Forget about you?” he cuts in, disbelief lacing his voice. “Annie, you’re a part of me. Forgetting you would be like ripping out a piece of my soul—”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” I snap, cutting him off before he can keep going.
He exhales sharply and turns away, dropping back onto the sofa as frustration rolls off him in waves. “I don’t think I’m the dramatic one here, Lennox.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I shoot back, folding my arms tightly across my chest.
“Nothing,” he mutters, dragging a hand over his face. “Just… don’t do this.”
“I already have,” I say quietly. “We’re done, Aston. Ella will stand by your side, and you can forget about me. Forget we were ever friends. Forget our first kiss… forget last night. Just forget me.” The words taste bitter as they leave my mouth. “It’s what’s best.”
“Bullshit.” His head drops into his hands again, his shoulders tense. “This is fucking bullshit, Annie, and you know it,” he says, his voice rough but controlled. He doesn’t yell. He never yells at me, but the anger is there, simmering just beneath the surface.
“It is what it is—”
“It is what it is?” he repeats incredulously, letting out a breath that sounds like it’s being forced from his lungs. “I don’t… I can’t… fuck!” He shakes his head, hands still tangled in his hair.
Seeing him like this hurts more than I expected, but I push it down.
This has to happen.
I’m doing the right thing—for both of us.
“Time will help,” I say, softer now. “I just need space. Maybe… maybe we can be friends again one day. But us… as a couple… it was wrong.”
“It wasn’t wrong,” he says immediately, lifting his head to look at me.
“We’re not wrong. I just wish you could see that.
” He stands, closing the distance between us again, his voice steadying despite everything.
“But if time is what you need, then I’ll give it to you.
I’ll wait because that’s what people do when they love someone, Annie.
They don’t just walk away when things get hard.
” He stops right in front of me, close enough that I can feel the warmth of him again.
“I can’t let you go,” he says quietly. “I won’t! ”
“You have to,” I whisper. “Because I’m letting you go.”
The words hit him hard—they slam into him. I see it in the way his shoulders drop, in the way his expression crumples as tears spill freely down his face.
“Annie… baby, please,” he says, reaching for my hand.
I let him take it.
For a moment.
Then I lift my other hand and brush the tears from his cheek, my fingers trembling. “Don’t cry for me,” I murmur. “I’m not worth it.” I pull away before I can change my mind and move toward the door.
“Annie, you are,” he says, his voice breaking. “You’re worth everything.”
I pause at the door, forcing myself to turn back and meet his eyes one last time. “Forget me, Aston,” I say, my voice barely steady. “Forget us. This… this was a mistake.”
“Annie, don’t go,” he pleads, his eyes begging me to stay.
I swallow hard, my throat tight, and turn away before I can falter.
The door opens, and I walk out.
“Annie!”
I don’t stop.
I can’t.
I make my way down the narrow passage toward the main cabin, my arms wrapping around myself like they can hold me together. Tears blur my vision, but I wipe them away quickly as I reach my seat.
The engines roar to life—too loud, too much.
“You okay?” Ella asks softly, rubbing my arm.