I slammed the door to the stockroom unnecessarily hard, causing Joy to peek her head around the corner of the aisle she was restocking in The Flourish.

“Easy, girl. Whatever’s bugging you, don’t take it out on that poor old door. The wooden frame is older than my great-grannie,” she jokingly scolded.

“Sorry,” I apologized sheepishly.

I wasn’t one to lose my temper, but after days of letting it simmer, I felt ready to boil over. Fitz had been avoiding me for much of the week. He hadn’t come to the lake in the evenings at all. Like a fool, I would go, sit alone for hours at a time, only to have him not show up. During the day, his presence was scarce, and I rarely saw him at all. When I did, he was often tied up doing a job with my father, not giving me the chance to speak to him about what was going on. I thought about going to the barn to see if I could catch him there, but pride kept me from doing it. I wasn’t about to chase him. He knew I’d be waiting for him at the lake, but he never came. All said and done, I was left to roil in my anger for far too many days.

Joy left the half-empty boxes in the aisle and came over to the counter where I was standing. She folded her arms across her chest and pointedly looked at me.

“You okay?” she asked, her tone taking on a serious note of concern.

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I can cover the store if you want to cut out early. I don’t expect the normal midday rush of students since they’re all tied up with final rehearsals today. I mean, no offense, but whatever has you all riled up made you too distracted to get much of anything done around here, anyway.”

I frowned and glanced at the wall clock. It was just past noon. I was supposed to work until four, but Joy was right. I had been completely useless all morning. Perhaps if I used the time to track down Fitz, we’d be able to hash out whatever his issue was, then I could come back to work.

“You don’t mind?”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured with a shooing motion of her hands.

Not needing further words of encouragement, I thanked her as I shed my apron and headed out the door.

The days had finally cooled to a more comfortable heat level, and after spending the morning in an air-conditioned building, the warm air felt good on my skin. It made the trek around the camp in search of Fitz all the more bearable.

His avoidance had upset me, but I knew there had to be an explanation. Initially, my brain had been too muddled by my feelings for him to truly grasp the implications of what was coming. I naively wrapped myself in the present, completely tuning out the inevitable. I knew what was between us. It was good and pure. I knew he loved me. I didn’t believe he was deliberately trying to hurt me. Deep down, I suspected Fitz was only trying to put distance between us so that his leaving didn’t hurt so bad.

However, the conflict I felt was wearing me down. I found myself questioning his feelings for me, wondering if I had been duped. Another part of me said that wasn’t the case at all, and I shouldn’t be angry with him. After all, I had seen inside the shell. I knew him. He was someone who had lost, and remained terrified, hurt, and haunted by his past and unpredictable future. I understood his predicament in a way I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but I didn’t know if it ever really would be again. His absence had left a massive, painful hole in my chest. It made me realize, when he was finally gone forever, it would be so much worse.

Sorrow clenched down on my chest, the feeling of hopelessness overwhelming. When we met, a relationship or a summer fling was the furthest thing from my mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fall in love, nor did I think he’d be the one to claim my virginity.

But I did. And he did. And now he was leaving in less than two days. Tomorrow was the last day at camp. Tonight would be our last night. I couldn’t even bear the thought of never seeing him again. He was the keeper of my heart, and I was prepared to make any sacrifice needed if it meant I didn’t lose him.

A lone tear tumbled down my cheek and I hastily brushed it away. No good would come from my tears now, especially once I found Fitz. As I trudged along the winding paths of Camp Riley, I vowed to make the most of every last minute I had with him.

After forty-five minutes of searching, I finally found Fitz just outside the bathhouse. His shirt was off and tossed over one shoulder, sweat gleaming from his body as he hauled a large cart of supplies toward the main entrance. His back was to me, so he didn’t see me approaching, but I saw the moment he sensed my presence. Energy seemed to race across the ground, and his spine jerked in awareness.

When he turned to face me, I saw the longing in his eyes flash, before he seemed to visibly deflate. It was an expression that surely mirrored my own. He looked beaten, and just as exhausted and hopeless as I felt. All the anger I clung to over the past few days instantly vanished.

He watched me as I closed the distance between us, not saying a word, his expression unreadable. An uneasy feeling settled into my gut as I stepped up to him.

“I’ve missed you these past few days,” I told him quietly with a forced smile.

Pain flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it by grabbing his shirt and putting it back on. After he pulled his head through the hole, I stepped up to him. Not caring if anyone saw us, I wrapped my arms around his waist. I knew I shouldn’t, but I needed to feel his warmth. It was the only thing that would ease my fears and make me feel safe. Any consequence I’d have to endure would be worth it if I could just feel him holding me.

But he didn’t return the embrace like I wanted him to. Instead, he stiffened.

“Cadence, no,” he stated gruffly. As he removed my arms from around his hips, his movements seemed tense, almost as if he had to pry himself free. He stepped away, leaving a cold and vacant space in front of me.

He seemed more than just a little off. It was as if there was a wall standing between us, separating us into two completely different worlds.

“Fitz, what’s wrong? Why haven’t you been to the lake?”

He took a deep breath and paused. His broad shoulders heaved, and he seemed to have to force himself to look at me. Sadness crested his features, before turning into something hard. I didn’t like it. It was almost like he was psyching himself up to tell me something. I looked into his eyes, only to see a million problems flitting across them. My insides began to churn. Panic rushed my chest, a crushing force of dread against my heart that had begun to race. Before he even opened his mouth to speak, I knew I was going to hate whatever it was I was about to hear.