Retreat by Nicole Dykes

We were each other’s retreat until it all fell apart . . .

Ty:
Why didn’t I just stick to the plan?
This is a question that haunts me every day. I had a great job and a solid circle of friends.
Then, everything fell apart . . . because I didn’t stick to the plan—never get involved, just enjoy life.
I was an idiot, but never again. From now on, I stay far away from relationships and feelings. That’s not who I am. It’s time to get back to the real me.

Morgan:
He doesn’t see me.
I was pathetic, a ridiculous girl following her older brother’s best friend around like a lost puppy. Watching him with every other woman on the planet. Fantasizing about what it would be like to be them.
I was a fool to believe if I just put myself out there and told him I loved him maybe, just maybe, he would truly notice me.
Never again. I’m moving on. I’m not the pitiful girl I once was. I’m stronger and wiser, ready to take on the world. And nothing, especially my stupid heart, will stop me.
Now there’s nothing left to do except withdraw from each other.