I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 31

Sophie smiled apologetically at Gavin.

The man sitting across from her had clear eyes and a warm smile. He had rushed all the way back just to see her before she left, yet her mind was completely occupied by another man.

"Are you sleepy? I'm sorry I arrived so late. It must be cutting into your rest."

Gavin's gentle words only deepened Sophie's guilt. She had used him as a shield earlier, and now she was blatantly neglecting him.

"I had too much to drink tonight, so my brain is still a bit foggy. I should be the one apologizing."

But if she went straight up to her room now, she would feel terrible. He had rushed over straight from the airport, not even taking the time to drop off his luggage, just to see her, and she had barely spoken two words to him.

She called the waiter over and ordered a coffee, hoping the caffeine would perk her up.

"It's too late for coffee. Have some milk instead; it'll help you sleep better."

Gavin stopped her and politely asked the waiter to switch her order to a glass of warm milk.

When he first got off the plane, his only thought was to see her. He hadn't anticipated the heavy traffic on the way from the airport. It was already past midnight, and seeing the exhaustion written all over Sophie's face, he couldn't bring himself to force her to stay up with him any longer.

"Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll take you to the airport."

"You really don't have to. I'm going with Gwen. We're used to flying around like this all the time."

Sophie wasn't just being polite; she genuinely didn't want to waste Gavin's time.

He was a bright, successful young man with a pure heart. Why should he waste his time on a woman whose heart felt like dead ashes?

Gavin looked at her with a gentle smile and said, "Are you afraid I'm going to make a scene and cry at the airport? Don't worry, I'm not that dramatic. I won't embarrass you."

"No, that's not it. I just think I might have given you the wrong idea. Gavin, I'm truly sorry. Your phone call earlier tonight really saved me, and I appreciate the time you've spent with me lately. Thank you so much for everything. You're a great guy, and you're going to meet an even better girl."

Gavin lowered his head, a bitter smile touching his lips.

Over the phone, he had heard the joy in her voice and mistakenly assumed she was as eager to see him as he was to see her.

"You don't have to rush to hand me the 'nice guy' card. I do like you, and I wanted to pursue you. I tried my best, and even if it didn't work out, I've made my peace with it. At least I won't have any regrets. I know I might not be good enough, but I'm truly happy that we crossed paths again. I just don't want to give up like this."

Sophie looked up at him. He spoke with such earnestness that a pang of remorse tightened her chest.

"You are great. This is entirely my problem. I... I'm just not in the right headspace to start a new relationship right now."

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