Tess looks back at me. “When did this happen?”
“Last week,” I say, quieter. “So… I told him we should stop.”
Silence settles over the call.
“You broke it off?” Daphne asks softly. “After the kiss?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
There’s a beat of complete silence, and I’m waiting for them to start giving me advice.
Dawn exhales. “Okay. Be honest,” she leans closer to the screen. “Was the kiss good?”
I stare at her. “That’s the part you focus on?”
“Girl. Answer the damn question.”
My brain flashes back before I can stop it.
“…Yeah,” I admit. “It really was.”
Tess’s voice stays gentle. “Then why end it?”
I pull my knees to my chest. “Because we got what we wanted. And we promised to stop when it worked.”
Daphne tilts her head. “Mads… what about the kiss?”
“That was just in the moment. It’s better like this.”
Dawn squints. “Your cheeks are turning red again.”
I groan. “Oh my God.”
Daphne’s voice is quiet. “You don’t look like someone who’s completely fine.”
My chest tightens. I stare down at the blanket, picking at loose threads. And then a slow and shaky breath leaves me.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Maybe I felt something. But it wasn’t part of the plan. So I just need to forget it.”
“Why?” Daphne asks gently and I shrug, not sure what to say.
Tess’s voice stays soft. “We know what Jacob put you through.”
“That’s not—” I start quickly. “This isn’t about him.”
Three identical looks from the screen. Thecome on, Madslook.
Dawn lifts a brow. “Girl.”
“I’m serious,” I insist, a little weaker this time. “It’s just complicated. And—other logical reasons that make total sense.”
“Mm-hmm,” Daphne hums.
I groan and drop my forehead onto my knees. “You’re all so annoying.”
Dawn leans closer to the camera, softer now. “We just don’t want that idiot to still have this much power over you.”
Tess nods. “He already did enough.”