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wasn’t worth it. I’d get a new phone number and finally be rid of her.
    After making the change, I breathed a sigh of relief. I should have changed it sooner, but hadn’t thought of it.
    I sat to have a bowl of cereal and scroll through my contacts. I wasn’t giving my new number out to everybody. Hell, it would be a good time to sort through my outdated list. When I came upon Dawn’s number I stopped.
    Three or four weeks had passed since I’d seen her. She called me a few days ago, but I let it go to voicemail, then deleted the message. When I didn’t answer, she called again and left another message. Then the texts started. She was worried about me.
    She started pleading in the messages.
    “Just tell me you’re okay, then I’ll leave you alone.”
    “I really want to see you, but won’t push it.”
    “Are you okay? Please answer me.”
    Yeah, so I was being a dick about the entire thing, ignoring her messages. Was I being an asshole? Probably. Honestly, with all the upheaval lately, moving, starting over, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted. If I saw her again, it could dredge up stuff I wasn’t looking forward to facing. Our past was dotted with too much history. Yet, I wasn’t sure I could just cut and run again, now that I’d seen her.
    Sure, I was curious to spend more time with her, wondering if we’d have a natural connection like before, or had the past broken the ties that bound us together in the past. The emotional risk was heavy on both ends.
    One of the biggest risks was my heart. I’ll admit it, I was crazy about the girl. Dawn was smart, funny, and hot. She held my interest, had physically grown into an insanely sexy woman, and I admired how much her education meant to her. She was the one I wanted, but the one I never tried to get. Man, the urge to take her, make her my own, pull her into my arms…I fought that urge with everything inside of me.
    I had my reasons. Damn good ones, too. And I knew if I spent any time around her, those reasons would be tested. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. She didn’t know it was me at the club. Didn’t know I was the one who’d taken advantage of the situation. If she knew…I’m not sure she’d forgive me. She never saw me the way that I saw her. I felt like a jerk for pretending I was a stranger.
    I mean, sure I could keep it to myself. Omit that piece of information, but if I spent any time around her, she’d know something was bothering me. It was always like that. She could read me, know when I was holding back.
    I couldn’t ignore her forever. I knew I needed to send her a message back. I wanted to let her know I’d changed my number and it wasn’t because of her.
    The next morning, I sent a quick text.
    It’s Luke. I changed my number. Long story, but wanted you to have it.
    It was early, just before 8 a.m., and I had no idea if she was up, but then her text came through. Thanks for letting me know! I was worried about you. Everything okay?
    I paused, then answered. Yeah, I’m fine. I was kidnapped by aliens but now I’m back. No big deal.
    She wrote back. Shut up. What are you up to?
    I wish I had something more interesting to say, but I stuck with the basics . Finishing some breakfast, then off to work.
    She quickly answered. Let me guess…Raisin Bran?
    Of all things, she remembered my favorite cereal. I shot back a fast response. I’m a loyal guy.
    I was trying to be witty with that response, but the second I hit send I realized that I’d have a pretty hard time defending that statement. I hadn’t been loyal to her. I’d left and had been out of touch for seven years.
    A minute passed, then another. Nothing. Shit. That last comment…
    I made my way to the bathroom and turned on the water, getting ready for a shower. As I started to undress, my phone blipped.
    I’d really love to see you, she wrote.
    I drew a deep breath. Okay. I can do this. It was time to put my concerns away and just go see her. I hesitated before