Page 87 of Pieces of Us

‘I also ended my friendships with everyone I overheard you mention.’ I gasp and go to talk, but he raises his hand to let him finish. ‘No. This was not because of what they did or said about you. This is because I refuse to be around people who have those sorts of qualities. It makes me sick that I could even call some of those people my friends. I don’t care in the slightest if they were young and immature, I don’t believe a leopard can change their spots that much, and my life won’t change with or without them in it.’

His comments stupefy me. He’s changing his whole world to accommodate me.

‘I can’t change the past. I wish I could, but that time is gone. I can only promise you what I’m willing to give you in my future, and that’s everything. It’s all of me. I want you to have all my lasts, and I want you to feel completely at home and comfortable, standing by my side. I want you to know in your heart and soul that this is putting you first, forever. Even if it doesn’t work between us, I will never harm you like I have again.’

His speech means the world to me. An errant strand of hair falls on my cheek, prompting Linc to lift his hand and secure it behind my ear. He cups my cheek, making me feel a thousand different things. It’s only now that I feel him swipe at the lone tear that’s slid down my face. ‘I am so sorry, Hart, for all the pain I caused you. I can’t believe how much I fucked up, even when you weren’t here. I will fight for you and us, and I will love you every day, even when you don’t love yourself. I will love us enough for both of us.’

Mesmerised by his speech, I don’t know what to say that could ever compare to his thoughtful words and actions.

‘Your heart, body, soul, peace, comfort, success, happiness and health will always mean more to me than anything. I will always put those things first, and I promise to never give up.’

‘Linc,’ I barely whisper, emotion breaking in my voice. We’re so close that I can feel his hot breath mingle with mine.

Pressing a chaste kiss to my lips, he seals his promise. It’s not even close enough to satiating my slutty, lustful need for him, but it’s perfect.

Chapter 32

Part of Me

Lincoln

Dating Amity is killing me.

With her leaving in a few days, I haven’t had enough time to convince her to stop with this casual bullshit that she’s pedalling.

What’s worse is that we’ve barely had enough time to be alone together.

We had the nervous task of telling Lily and Rome that we were casually dating again. They plastered some fake-ass smiles on their faces as if they were trying for the sake of Amity to be cool with us, but I could tell they were overly cautious of my intentions. I need to make amends. I was a shitty friend for the way I cowardly dropped them and made zero effort to repair the fractures in our friendship.

When we told our dads, both were wary but accepted it was our decision.

Of course, Jas was over the moon.

Hart’s mum was blasé, neither here nor there about us. She had some news herself, dropping the bombshell that she’s coming back to the Gold Coast for a while. It understandably excited Amity, because she thought there might be a chance that her parents would be reuniting. She’s always had it in her head that they would find their way back to each other, even though Uncle Mark vehemently denies there’s anything more than friendship between them.

Then there was Billie.

I didn’t tell Amity that I met up with her. Out of respect for our history, I felt it was the right thing to do. She sobbed and kept blaming herself over the way we ended, from the incessant bullying to her deep-rooted insecurities over never comparing to Amity. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the truth, but I gave her closure.

Among all the chaos of reacquainting everyone with the idea of us casually dating, Amity was run ragged herself, busy signing off on her latest selection of teas and the final stages of her lingerie launch. She also had filming on her mind because she was on the phone with her agent a lot, and was sending my calls to voicemail with that exact message.

Between my latest projects and her whirlwind schedule, we didn’t really have a lot of time to meet up and explore growing feelings. Despite being time poor, I made a mammoth effort to let her know she was on my mind. I sent her old pictures of us that I’d stored in a fake photo app and protein smoothies or juices to her home throughout the day, knowing she’d probably forget to eat between calls. I was still navigating my way through her weight disorder, but I checked with Uncle Mark what her go-to drinks were that he’d observed while she was home.

For the fifth time today, I attempt to call her.

‘Hello?’ her voice comes through my Bluetooth all breathy and distracted, as if she’s doing a million and one things at once.

‘Hi, baby.’ I can’t help but smile that I get to call her that again.

‘Hi!’ Whatever she’s doing, she stops. I can hear the enthusiasm in her voice.

‘What are you doing?’ I start cruising down the highway to get home. I’ve been crashing more at Dad’s these days, knowing I’m more likely to see Amity there. It occurs to me that she hasn’t seen my own place yet, which I’d very much like to rectify before she leaves.

‘Today has been hectic, manic—any other synonym you can think of for chaotic.’ She wearily huffs out a breath. ‘It’s starting to feel so real that I have all this responsibility to get back to next week.’

Her tone worries me a little. I don’t know her response mechanism when she’s overwhelmed. ‘Do you need me to do anything?’ I offer, not knowing in the slightest how I can possibly take anything off her plate.

Silence greets me on the other end of the line. I’m almost certain we’ve been cut off. ‘Actually. I think I need a night off. Do you want to maybe hang out? We haven’t really seen each other a whole lot.’