Page 78 of Give Me Love

“Just kinda stumbled upon it some years back. When I first moved to the city, I’d come up here and think. I like the idea of being away from all the bullshit, ya know?”

I glance at him. How alike are we?

“Yeah,” I agree. We climb up a few steps that have seen better days.

“Careful.” He grabs my hand.

The act is simple, but it does all kinds of things to my insides. We’re up higher now on a platform. Bryce drops my hand and places the blanket down. He bends his knees, placing his hand on the blanket as he sits. He lies down on his back, crossing his ankles before resting his hands behind his head. I look down at him with a smirk, and he pats the empty space beside him.

“Lie down,” he says. I shake my head and do what he did.

I stare up at the lit sky. Not a single star is in sight because of the light pollution, but it’s calming watching the fog shift with the wind.

Bryce keeps still, not saying anything, but the fact that we can lie together in silence speaks volumes. To be quietly content around a person is a rarity, and I’m happy he’s the person I can do this with. After minutes of silence between us, he says, “Can I tell you something?”

I look over at him. “Of course.”

He goes still as if he isn’t sure about telling me after all. I watch his profile. Strong jawline, a neck I’d love to kiss, and buzzed hair. His eyes travel across hidden stars as his jaw clenches.

“My mom was beat up tonight.”

My eyes shoot to his. “Oh my God. Is she okay?”

“Yeah, well… she will be,” he says. His Adam’s apple moves when he swallows.

My heart melts at how worried his expression is. I don’t know a thing about their relationship, but from the deep crease in his forehead and hardness in his face, it seems he cares, unlike how I feel about my own mother.

He looks over at me, his eyes skimming across my face before he points them back up at the moving clouds as though he can see the past. “My mom used to be a good person,” he says, his voice rough and low. “She would put a pallet down for me when I was a boy, and I’d watch cartoons while she cleaned the house. I was only five, but I remember her true self.”

“Her true self?” I ask.

He keeps his eyes glued on the city lit sky. “She got pregnant with Jace and his twin sister.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.”

He exhales sadly. “She died at childbirth.”

“Oh.”

“The good in Mom died that day, too. She couldn’t handle it and started disappearing. Dad would have to go find her and leave me to care for Jace. I was just a kid myself, but I raised that boy until I was thirteen.”

Holy crap. I can’t believe he’s telling me all of this.

“What happened at thirteen?” I ask, hoping he’ll continue.

“My life changed forever. I went from being a poor kid trying to make sure his brother was fed and tucked in at night to a rich kid with a bad attitude, hell-bent on destroying myself and everyone around me.”

“What changed?”

He looks back at me. “Changed?”

“Well, you’ve obviously done well for yourself. Someone who only wants to destroy things wouldn’t have the time or care to accomplish what you’ve achieved.”

“Sometimes I think I’m just trying to cover up who I really am.”

My mouth goes slack, and I blink at his honesty, knowing exactly how he feels. When I left that little house of nightmares, I had one thing in mind—forget about this place and the sad girl who used to live here. I don’t think I’ve done well at either.

Sure, I’ve worked hard trying to ensure I’d have a nice future, but I’ve never forgotten that house and the memories of what happened there. The feeling of being invisible even when I was never alone isn’t something I can disregard no matter the years that have passed. I stare into his mysterious blues.

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