He Promised to Catch Me. Then He Pushed Me Off the Edge Chapter 07

He Promised to Catch Me. Then He Pushed Me Off the Edge Chapter 07

Ethan didn’t leave.

He waited downstairs for three days.

Every time I walked past the front entrance, I saw that black SUV parked across the street.

One night it rained hard. I pulled the curtain aside and saw his headlights still on. The wipers swept back and forth in a dull, stubborn rhythm.

On the fourth morning, I stepped outside and found a letter on the stoop. Ethan’s handwriting. The

paper was warped and smeared from the rain.

[Nora, I’m flying back tomorrow. The academy gave me an ultimatum. If I don’t return now, I lose

everything.]

[I’ve been thinking a lot. It’s all on me. I put Viv before you. I don’t deserve the four years of trust you gave me. But I need you to know-everything I said on that bungee platform meant nothing.] [If

I could take it back… I don’t want to fly anymore. I just want—]

The letter seemed to break off there.

I turned it over.

One more line. Smaller. Almost washed away by the rain.

[All I want is to keep my feet on the ground. With you.]

I folded the paper. Tucked it into my bag.

Then I went to the lab and did my work.

In the afternoon, Dr. Cole called me into his office. The journal’s feedback was strong. The editor

wanted to meet me in person.

“This weekend. He’ll be passing through from New York.”

Dr. Cole pushed his glasses up.

“If you’re free, it’ll just be a casual dinner.”

I nodded.

Friday night, I was in my apartment doing one last round of data revisions when the doorbell rang

I figured it was my food delivery.

Instead, I opened the door to a guy I’d never seen before. Black sweater. Thin-framed glasses. A bag

in his hand.

“Nora?”

He smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled.

“I’m Owen. Owen Sterling. I live upstairs. Figured since we’re both here, we should stick together.

Just some food. Try it out.”

I blinked and took the insulated bag.

“Thanks. That’s really nice of you.”

“No problem.”

He waved and turned for the stairs. He paused and looked back.

“Oh, I’m doing my PhD in neuroscience too. If you ever want to talk through an experiment or something, let me know. I’ll leave you alone now.”

The door shut. The smell of baked ziti drifted up from the bag.

I didn’t eat it that night. I put it in the fridge. The next morning, it didn’t look good anymore.

Later, I used to think about that. If I had opened it, maybe everything would’ve been different.

But life doesn’t work that way. Some people show up at exactly the right moment. And you miss them because you didn’t open a door in time.

That was all still ahead of me, though.

My phone buzzed. A message from Vivian. I’d blocked her number. She’d gotten a new one.

[Nora. Ethan says if he quits flying, maybe then he’ll be good enough for you. He’s actually serious about dropping out of the academy. That what you wanted?]

I didn’t respond.

Two minutes later, a second message.

[What gives you the right? What gives you the right to make the guy I love throw away his future for you?]

I stared at the screen for a long time.

Then I calmly blocked the new number.