Page 56 - It Ends with Us

“Thes e nex t couple of mont hs are the most important mont hs in

my ent ire career. I ha ve to be focused . I’m closing in on the end of my
res idenc y, and then I’ll ha ve to sit for my ex ams.” He’s pacing my
living room, talking frant ically with hi s ha nd s. “But for the past week ,
I haven’t been able to get you out of my hea d. I don’t know why. At
work, at ho me. All I can thi nk about is ho w crazy it feel s when I’m
nea r you, and I need you to make it stop, Lily.” He stops pacing and

faces me. “Pleas e make it stop. Just onc e—t ha t’s all it’ll take. I swea r.”
My fing ers are digging int o the skin of my arms as I watch hi m.
He’s still pant ing a little, and hi s ey es are still frant ic, but he’s looking
at me plea ding ly.
“When i s the last time you’ve had sleep ?” I ask hi m.
He rolls hi s ey es like he’s frustrated tha t I’m no t get ting it. “I just
got off a forty-ei ght -ho ur shi ft,” he says dismissivel y. “Focus, Lily.”

I no d and rep lay hi s words in my hea d. If I didn’t kno w bet ter . . .
I’d almost thi nk he was . . .
I inha le a calming brea th. “R yle, ” I say caref ully. “Did you seri ously
just knoc k on twent y-ni ne doors so you could tel l me tha t the tho ught
of me is making your life hel l and I sho uld ha ve sex with you so tha t
you’ll nev er ha ve to thi nk of me again? Are you kiddi ng me right

no w?”
He folds hi s lips toget her and , after about fiv e sec ond s of tho ught ,
he slowly no ds hi s hea d. “Wel l . . . yea h, but . . . it sound s way worse
when you say it.”
I rel ea se an ex aspera ted laugh. “Tha t’s bec ause it’s ridiculous,
R yle. ”
He bites hi s bottom lip and looks around the room, like he

suddenl y want s to es cape. I open the door and motion for hi m to walk
out. He does n’t. His ey es fall to my foot. “Your ank le looks good,” he
says. “How does it feel ?”
I roll my ey es . “Bet ter. I was able to hel p Allysa at the store for the
firs t time today.”
He no ds and then makes like he’s walking toward the door to

lea ve. But as soon as he rea ches me, he spins toward me and slaps hi s
palms agains t the door on ei ther side of my hea d. I gasp at both hi s
proximity and hi s pers istenc e. “Plea se?” he says.