Chapter 15 Chapter 15 The hallway was dim , narrow , and heavy with the scent of rain .

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Faint droplets tapped against the windows , the muffled hum of water slipping through cracks in the pavement outside filling the silence between us .
I froze .
For a brief , breathless moment , I thought this was it .
The moment the truth would slip out .
That Pax would finally piece everything together .
That my plans to leave would be dragged into the open , no longer something I could quietly pack away with the rest of my belongings .
But instead- He smiled .
Of course we are .
His certainty was effortless , unwavering .
He thought she was talking about Norway .
Relief flooded through me , but it came tangled with something heavier something I didnt want to name .
The girl parted her lips , as if she wanted to say more , but her boyfriend quicker , sharper seemed to sense the sudden shift in the air .
He grabbed her hand lightly , pulling her back , offering a quick , polite farewell before leading her away .
And just like that , the moment passed .
The silence stretched again , this time thinner , more fragile .
Pax had originally planned for me to move into his place tonight .
18:21 1 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 53.1 % But I was exhausted .
Lets wait until we get back from Norway , I said , my voice careful , steady .
He hesitated , lingering at my doorstep as if searching for a reason to stay.
Then , as if conceding to an unseen compromise , he tried again .
Then at least have dinner with me tonight ? I opened my mouth to refuse , but he cut me off before I could speak .
Cecilia , if youre still angry , hit me , yell at me , do whatever you want .
His voice was quieter now , rough at the edges , like he wasnt used to speaking this way like he wasnt used to pleading .
Just dont be like this .
Dont be so … cold .
I looked at him then , really looked at him .
The slight dishevelment in his normally composed appearance .
The exhaustion beneath his eyes , the kind that lingered after sleepless nights .
The way his shoulders slumped just a little , as if carrying something heavier than he knew how to bear .
I clenched my fingers tighter , nails digging into my palm .
Pain .
Sharp and relentless , an ache lodged deep beneath my ribs .
Two years .
Two years of real , honest feelings .
I had loved him .
Maybe , in some small , quiet way , I still did .
But I also knew that time had a way of dulling wounds , of smoothing out the sharp edges of heartbreak .
18:21 Backup Girl No More : Adios To My V Card and My First Love 1 53.4 % Chapter 15 If I could endure this pain for just a little longer Eventually , it would stop hurting .
So that night , weary from his persistence , I agreed to dinner .
What he hadnt told me Was that we wouldnt be dining alone .
The restaurant was elegant , warm with the flicker of candlelight , shadows dancing against polished silverware and crystal glasses .
A long table stretched between us .
And at the far end of it Sat his mother .
Paxs mother .
She had to be in her early fifties , but time had only made her more striking .
There was a quiet radiance about her , an elegance that made her presence feel inevitable like the slow turn of seasons , like something that had been orchestrated long before I even stepped into this moment .
Her every movement was poised , deliberate .
And when she smiled at me , there was something knowing in the curve of her lips .
So , youre Cecilia ? 1 .