They Said He Hated Clingy Girls—So I Stopped… And He Didn’t Like It Chapter 10

They Said He Hated Clingy Girls—So I Stopped… And He Didn’t Like It Chapter 10

They weren’t wrong either. I’d been testing him this whole time, fishing for something he was never going to give me. I was tired of all of it. That night, before he could come back, I packed a bag and left. Once I got to the hotel room, I was afraid I’d lose my nerve and go back. So I made it final. I sent a breakup text, then blocked him on everything. Then I sat there and forced myself to breathe. The first few days were strange-everything felt like it had a Blaine-shaped hole in it. And I’d always been the kind of person who needed company.

The silence got to me faster than I expected. That was when Mason found out I’d moved out. He kept showing up with groceries, toiletries, and all the little things I hadn’t thought to buy. It was hard to turn him away. I started bringing him things too-coffee, snacks, small stuff. Slowly, we settled into something easy. Putting distance between myself and Blaine was working. By the end of the week, the worst of the ache had started to fade. But late at night, he still found his way back into my head. His face. That stupidly unfair body.

The way he took care of me without ever making me feel like a burden. I was still lost in my head when I heard something at the door-a faint scratching, then the handle rattling. Someone was trying to get in. I flipped on the light and yelled at the door. “I already called the cops-get out of here!” Then I scrambled for my phone to actually call 911. Footsteps-fast, retreating. Then a knock. Then his voice, low and unmistakable. “It’s Blaine. He’s gone.” My heart was still hammering. “How do I know it’s really you?” A pause.

Then, through the door, a heavy exhale, the sound of a man at the absolute end of his rope. “Nora. It’s been seven days, eleven hours, and thirty-nine minutes since you left. Is that enough?” I did the math in my head. Then I opened the door. Blaine looked furious. The kind of fury that had been building for seven days, eleven hours, and thirty-nine minutes. He took one look around, and his jaw tightened. “You’re living in a place like this?” He stepped forward, his voice hard. “I’m not accepting this breakup. You’re coming back with me.” I shook my head and stepped back.

“No.” “You’d rather live like this, scared out of your mind every night-than come back home?” I blinked. A tear slid down, leftover adrenaline, not emotion. I was still coming down from the panic. I nodded, eyes red. “Yes.” His composure finally cracked. He gritted his teeth. “Fine. If you won’t come back, I’ll stay here.” That was when I noticed what he had tucked under his arm. He was holding my pillow. Something I couldn’t name twisted in my chest. Did that mean he didn’t want the one Claire had given him? I’d left it behind on purpose. It never occurred to me to take it back.