Read Mine to Lose for Free Online Page B

down and unlock the door
before taking a seat at the edge of the bed. When he comes into the room he
sits down next to me and offers his hand and I give him mine.
    “I won’t go,” he says in a hush, looking
down at the floor.
    That’s what I want more than anything,
for him to choose me, but from what he’s told me that’s not a realistic choice.
    “What would happen if you turned it
down?” I have to ask the question, because he hasn’t even mentioned this.
    “Turn it down?” He repeats with sarcasm,
as if he hadn’t thought of it. “It’s not like they’ll fire me tomorrow, but I
certainly won’t be up for any promotions anytime soon. They’ll think I’m not a
team player.”
    I shake my head when I realize that he might
really turn it down if I ask him to, but is that something I want to do?
    “I love you, Em. There’s nothing that I
wouldn’t do for you, and despite what you think, I am thinking of us. This
position is temporary; you and me, we’re forever.”
    “Ryan, I know how hard you’ve worked for
a chance like this. I really am proud of you- I don’t want you to go, but I get
it.”
    He walks toward me and hugs me tight.
“Come with me.”
    “I can’t,” I repeat the words I’ve
already told him. “Things are starting to pick up for my career, too. I’m not
going to beg you to stay, I know this is a great opportunity for you, but I
can’t go with you.”
    “I know,” he whispers into my ear before
kissing my head.
    “Besides, a year isn’t so bad.”
    He pulls away and looks down at me as if
no stranger words have ever been spoken, especially by me. “It is a long time,
and you know it.”
    “We’ll be okay.” I try to convince him,
as much as I try to convince myself. “This is just a nasty hurdle we have to
make over, and once we do, it will be a small blip on an otherwise calm
journey.”
    “You know you’re a terrible liar, right?”
    “I’m just tired of fighting,” I admit.
“And I really think that everything will be okay. Don’t get me wrong, it’s
gonna suck and it’ll be hard, but we can do this, right?” I need reassurance
from him. He’s always been the logical one, but right now, I need him to be the
one that tells me what I need to hear. If he sells it, maybe he’ll believe it,
and if he believes it, maybe I’ll start to as well.
    “You’re right.” He stands up and takes my
hands to help me up. He pulls me close and brushes my hair out of my face
before looking down at me. “We can do this, Em,” I nod, turn my head into his
chest and breathe him in as though it’s the last time. When we finally break
apart, I decide to shower, and properly fix myself up.
    “Wanna grab something to eat?” He
questions when I turn to leave the room. The mere suggestion elicits a loud
growl from my stomach.
    I smile the first genuine smile I’ve
given him since our blow up the other night. “Yeah, just let me take a shower,
and I'll be ready to get out of here.” I start walking to our bedroom and stop
when I feel him just behind me. “What are you doing?”
    “I’m going with you to take a shower,” he
explains, as if it makes complete sense.
    “I don’t recall inviting you,” I counter,
with a raised brow.
    “Well, actually, your little tease did earlier.
So yeah, I’m taking a shower with you.” He looks at me and gives me the same
gorgeous smile I fell in love with. “You started it.” He throws his hands up
signaling there is no choice, so I turn my back to him and continue walking. As
soon as I get to the bathroom door, I remove the t-shirt I had put back on and
concede defeat with a grin.

CHAPTER 5
    The rest of the weekend flowed and in the
end, Ryan and I seemed to be in a better place. Are things perfect? Of course
not. Do I still have my concerns about him leaving? I wish I could say no, but
a year is going to be so hard. Part of me wishes I could pack up and follow
him, but it doesn’t seem realistic.
    Despite the weekend