#Chapter 172: A State of Disarray

Nicholas Piper wanted to distance her heart. She felt she was too close to me. She needed space before she could kiss me again, or touch me, or let me please her the way I wanted to. I understood her feelings. I knew as well as she did that we could never be together. But… to be apart from her like this… I hated it. I didn’t want her to distance herself. I didn’t want her to put her heart on ice, and withdraw her feelings. It was only because we felt so strongly for one another that our stolen moments together had been so thrilling and so satisfying. My love for Piper had never dimmed in these years apart. Yes, hurt had festered into something dark when I had thought she left me for another man. But now that I knew the truth, I could admit to myself that the anger and betrayal I had felt stemmed from love. In fact, my affections for her had only grown since our reunion for this competition. She wanted to find a way to put her feelings for me on hold. Meanwhile, I didn’t know if