Rory fumbled for the card key as he stood outside Gina’s hotel room with a box of doughnuts and a coffee carrier in his hands. It was a careful balancing act, dropping the box of donuts onto his knee as he steadied himself against the door.

He grabbed the key from his mouth and swiped it through the slot. Once the indicator light turned green, he pushed the key back into his pocket and rearranged the goodies in his hands.

To his surprise, once he walked through the door, Gina was already dressed for the day in a black skirt and pearl white top, silver earrings dangling from her ears.

Her hair was straight, a rare occurrence. He wasn’t sold on the look if only because the straightened hair made her look cool. Too perfect. He certainly hoped that wasn’t the type of mood she was in, especially after the night they’d just had.

For the first time, they’d slept together in the same bed. That was progress and he’d woken up feeling good. They still had a lot to discuss, but he felt like they’d crossed that invisible barrier she’d erected between them. Now, though, as he dropped the doughnuts onto the minibar and passed a coffee to her, his gut clenched.

“Is there something wrong?” he questioned as he popped the top to his coffee.

She set her coffee on the nightstand and combed her fingers through her hair. “Nothing is wrong, technically.”

“Technically?”

She exhaled a sharp burst of hot air. “You need to go to Peter’s wedding with Wendy this weekend.”

“What? I thought I made this clear last night that I wasn’t doing this anymore.”

She said nothing, only stared at him blankly, so he continued, “I’m not going to that asshole’s wedding, and if I did, I would want to take you with me, not Wendy.”

Gina bit into her lip and sighed again. “What’s wrong with Wendy?”

“There’s literally nothing wrong with her. She’s a sweet girl but she’s with someone else.” He raked a hand through his hair, frustration burning in his belly. “That’s also not the point.” He reached for her arm but she was too quick and jerked away before he could reach her. “Be my date, Gina. We can talk to Ava and let her know that this isn’t working out and we can go together.”

“That’s not an option,” she whispered under her breath. “This is my job and this was the agreement.” She sniffled, but didn’t meet his eyes as she spoke. “Nothing has changed, Rory.”

He sensed that she was choking back tears and he knew exactly what that meant. He rolled his palm into a fist and clenched tightly, his gaze searching for the nearest wall because he wanted to punch right fucking through one.

He brushed her off with his hand. He was trying to choke down his anger, afraid he would say something stupid that he might regret. But it was no use. “You know what I think?”

“What?” she questioned softly, still not looking him in the eyes. 

He pointed at her squarely with his finger. “I think you’re a coward.”

She stayed put, still glaring at the floor, but he could see he’d struck a chord. 

“I think you’re a chicken shit,” he continued. “I think you’re using the band as an excuse.”

“Excuse me?” She darted forward, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. “The band’s success is my success. If you fall flat on your asses, then so do I.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” he growled at her, clenching his fists even tighter. “I’m saying that I think you’re using it as an excuse because you’re too terrified that I’d just end up breaking your heart like Peter did. And because of that, you’re not even willing to give us a chance and that pisses me off.”

“That’s not…” she whispered, but her words trailed off as she forced a smile. “You should go.”

Rory wasn’t finished yet, though. He’d leave when he was ready, he still had plenty to say. “I’m not him. I’m not Peter, and if you don’t know that by now,” he shook his head and took a careful step backward, “if you don’t know me by now, then it’s probably best that you’re a chicken shit.” 

She sniffled, her lips quivering. Tears fell down her cheeks, but her face was expressionless otherwise. It’s like she was cold and closed off.

“It was fun while it lasted, Gina.”

Rory left, and closed the door gently behind him with a snap that echoed in his head like a gunshot.

So it was really over, before it had even truly begun.

The ache in his gut intensified as he forced his feet into motion.

She didn’t have it in her to take this risk. Fine. Better to know it now than to let himself fall even deeper for her and then find out when it was too late to save himself.

But a little voice in his head laughed as he made his way down the hall.

Too late, sucker…