He Wants Me, He Wants Me Not
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Daisies??? |
Fate in a Conference Room
Addy liked to believe in signs and romance. Yes, she is such a hopeless romantic that cries during movies or even when reading books. She is what we would call a woman in a state of delulu
It was a sign when she saw his name on the email about the work trip. It was a sign when they were assigned to the same project. And it was definitely a sign when the hotel receptionist casually mentioned that their rooms were on the same floor.
“Coincidence,” Tana muttered when Addy brought it up. “Not a sign.”
Addy ignored her.
She and J had history, real history. Not just office small talk. Not just awkward nods in the hallway. There had been kisses, lingering touches, whispered confessions in dark corners. And if those moments meant nothing, why did he still text her sometimes? Why did he smile at her that way?
She was sure of it.
There was something between them.
And this work trip? It was fate’s way of proving it.
The Dinner
The restaurant was dimly lit, the kind of place designed to make bad ideas seem romantic.
Addy sat beside J, her body angled towards him as if gravity itself was conspiring in her favor. Across the table, Tana sipped her wine like it was the only thing keeping her sane.
“So, J,” someone from Finance asked. “Any wedding bells in your near future?”
Addy still. Subtly, so subtly she let her pinky brush against J’s under the table.
He laughed. “Not anytime soon.”
Addy exhaled.
“Why not?” someone else pressed. “You’ve been with your girlfriend for a while, right?”
Her pinky froze.
“Yeah,” J said, voice easy. “She’s amazing.”
Addy yanked her hand back.
Tana didn’t look at her. Just reached for the wine bottle and refilled her own glass like she had been waiting for this moment.
The Rooftop Confession
They ended up on the rooftop later that night. Just the two of them.
Addy tried to act normal, but her head was a mess. His girlfriend. His amazing girlfriend.
She wasn’t even sure how they ended up standing so close, her shoulder barely brushing his.
“I like this,” she said, mostly to fill the silence.
He glanced at her. “Like what?”
“This,” she said again. “Us, hanging out like this.”
He exhaled, looking away. “Addy…”
Something in his tone made her chest tighten.
“You know I care about you,” he said quietly.
Her breath hitched.
He turned to her fully now, his gaze unreadable. “I do have feelings for you.”
The words hit her like a shockwave. I knew it. I knew it.
But then
“I just don’t think… you’re the one for me.”
It felt like someone had knocked the air out of her lungs.
She forced a laugh. “That’s okay, well, that’s a weird way to put it.”
“I mean it,” he said. “I care about you. I do. But I can’t see myself…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Ada gripped the railing. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
“So what was that night, then?” she asked, her voice too tight.
He sighed. “It was real. But it was also...”
“Nothing?” she cut in.
“Not nothing,” he said softly. “Just… not enough.”
And that should have been the end of it.
But then he reached for her hand. Brushed his thumb over her skin like he hadn’t just shattered her.
“You’re still important to me,” he murmured. “I don’t want to lose you.”
And there it was the hook. The reason she would stay.
Because he did love her. Just not the way she wanted.
The Group Outing
Tana had had enough.
The entire office had gone out for drinks, and from across the bar, she watched as Addy sat beside J, laughing too loudly at his jokes, leaning in just a little too much.
Tana slammed her drink down.
“She’s delusional,” she muttered.
“I mean,” another coworker said carefully, “it’s kinda obvious he doesn’t”
“Thank you!” Tana hissed. “So why doesn’t she see it?”
“Maybe because sometimes… he acts like he does.”
Tana clenched her jaw. That was the worst part.
Because J did give Addy just enough attention to keep her hoping. A hand on her back when they walked. A lingering glance. A soft “I miss you” after three drinks.
It was just enough.
And that was the real tragedy.
The Almost Goodbye
Addy had made up her mind.
She was done.
She had ignored Tana’s warnings. She had ignored every sign. But she couldn’t ignore what J himself had said.
She was walking away.
She told herself that as she packed her bag. As she deleted his number. As she sat in the airport, waiting for her flight home.
And then her phone buzzed.
J.
J: Can we talk?
She closed her eyes.
It should have been easy to ignore.
But she could already feel herself unraveling.
Because she knew how this would go.
He would say he missed her. He would say he didn’t want to lose her. He would remind her of everything they had, and none of what they didn’t.
And she would believe him.
Because sometimes, he did love her.
Just never enough.
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