They Said He Hated Clingy Girls—So I Stopped… And He Didn’t Like It Chapter 07

They Said He Hated Clingy Girls—So I Stopped… And He Didn’t Like It Chapter 07

I spent the whole day shut up in my room. Blaine knocked a few times asking what was wrong, and I brushed him off every time. Then the doorbell rang. It was Mason, dropping off a contract from my supervisor. Blaine answered the door instead of me, his expression dark. He was in the middle of making dinner, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “Nora’s busy,” he said. “You can leave it with me.” He added, with forced casualness, “You can head out if that’s everything. Not every guy knows his way around a kitchen like I can.” Mason arched an eyebrow and tried to peer past Blaine.

“Since when does fondue count as cooking?” Blaine’s jaw tightened. He shifted to close the door. “Nora and I have plans tonight.” His grand plan turned out to be massaging my stomach because I’d eaten too much. At some point, I fell asleep without even realizing it. When I woke up, I’d made up my mind. I went looking for Blaine and found him hand-washing my lingerie. His fingers were working a piece of pink fabric through soapy water. Heat flooded my face. Something fluttered in my chest, but I pushed it aside and walked over to him. “Blaine,” I said.

“I want to move out.” Blaine’s hands stilled. The silence stretched. I couldn’t tell if I was imagining it, but after a second, his hands started moving again, scrubbing harder than before. “Weren’t you scared of living alone?” he asked. “Is this because of-” He still hadn’t looked up. His voice came out tight and low. He didn’t finish, and I didn’t have the nerve to tell him I’d lied. “I’ll get used to it,” I said quietly. He fell silent again, focusing entirely on the sink. I hovered nearby, my nerves in knots, not even sure what I was actually feeling. I wanted him to agree.

I also wanted him to refuse. So I asked again. “Can I?” Blaine hung the last piece and finally turned to look at me. His eyes were dark, an opaque black. He clenched his jaw, and when he spoke, his voice was cold. “If you’re moving out, then what’s the point of us even being together? We might as well break up.” I froze. The comments exploded. [This is what the male lead actually thinks, isn’t it? He’s been wanting to break up with the second lead for ages.] [At least the second lead has some self-awareness. Go, go, go-clear out and make room for our girl!]