His Heart Stayed Flat for Me, Raced for Her, I Stayed for Neither Chapter 07

His Heart Stayed Flat for Me, Raced for Her, I Stayed for Neither Chapter 07

At the sound of “Emily,” Caleb’s head snapped up. 

“Of course.” Olivia laughed bitterly, even as more tears fell. “You like her, don’t you?” 

Everyone in the room held their breath. 

The only sound was Olivia’s quiet sobbing. 

Caleb’s hands were clenched into fists. They were 

shaking. 

He wanted to deny it. 

He had spent years denying it in front of everyone. 

He was used to saying “I don’t like her.” Used to saying “We’re just friends.” Used to keeping his distance from Emily in front of everyone. 

But this time, the words got stuck in his throat. 

Because his mind was full of Emily’s face. 

Her lonely figure standing in the rain as he took 

her umbrella. 

The look in her eyes at the dinner table, so empty, 

when she said “I’ll figure it out.” 

The way she ran out of the classroom crying, and 

he didn’t follow her. 

The way he had rejected her in front of everyone, 

again and again. And yet, she kept forgiving him. 

She put up with him. She waited for him. She 

loved him like a fool. 

And he had given her nothing in return. 

Not even a simple “I like her.” He was too afraid of 

being laughed at. 

But Emily had been laughed at for years. 

“Yeah. I like her.” Caleb looked up. His voice was 

steady and sure. “I like Emily Carson. I always 

have.” 

Olivia just stood there, crying so hard she was 

shaking. 

Caleb looked at her. There was guilt in his eyes, but also relief. Like he had finally woken up. 

“Olivia, I’ve always been attracted to you. And I 

really have had feelings for you.” 

“You’re amazing. You’re brilliant. I could never look 

away. And for a while, I really thought we were 

meant for each other.” 

“But Emily…” His voice dropped. “She’s been part of my life for so long. I can’t live without her.” 

Olivia crouched down, crying so hard her whole body shook. 

Everyone was whispering. No one dared to speak 

loudly. 

Olivia stood up. Her eyes were red and furious. “Caleb Whitmore, you are such an asshole!” 

She turned and walked out, slamming the door so hard the whole floor rattled. 

Everyone just looked at each other. No one said a 

word. 

Caleb suddenly remembered something. He 

grabbed his phone and texted Emily. 

[Emily, Olivia and I are done. I said no. I like you. 

I’ve always liked you.] 

But the message came back with a red 

exclamation mark. 

He tried again. Same thing. 

Caleb ran out of the party room, calling her as he 

ran. He tried ten, fifteen times. None of them went 

through. 

She had blocked his number, his social media, 

everything. 

He ran all the way to Emily’s house. The house 

was completely dark. No one was home. 

That was when he realized. Emily was gone. 

He had thought she was just mad and would cool 

off eventually. But now, she seemed more angry 

than ever. 

She was still mad at him. 

She had always been so understanding. This was the first time he had ever seen her this upset. 

He hadn’t realized how badly he had hurt her. 

Caleb sat down on the ground in front of her door. He knew she wouldn’t get the messages, but he kept sending them anyway. 

[Emily, I’m sorry.] 

[I shouldn’t have played that game. I shouldn’t have broken up with you.] 

[Do whatever you want to me. Just don’t ignore. 

me when school starts.]