Page 207 of Did They Break You

I look at the ground, feeling his touch linger even as his hands are by his sides. “Maybe it just means I’m stupid.”

His hand cups my face, tilting my chin up.

Goosebumps run down my arms.

“Finding forgiveness where there shouldn’t be any?” His lips tilt up into a smile. “That’s not stupid, Remi, baby.” He traces my lips with his finger. “That’sfucking brave.”

I hold his gaze. “Brave things can be stupid.”

His eyes search mine for a long moment, and I wonder if he’s going to say anything at all.

Then he does.

“Did you know?” he asks quietly.

“Know what?” Despite having no understanding of what he’s trying to ask, my heart races all the same, his thumb still over my bottom lip.

“The risks?” I see him swallow, the muscles in his neck flexing. “With me?”

What a loaded question.

But there’s a simple answer. “Yes,” I whisper, meaning it.

“Then it wasn’t stupid. If you thought for one fucking second this would’ve been easy, or felt good, or fuck, if you thought it would’ve beenfun…”He drops his hand. “That would make you stupid.” He slides his hands into his pockets and looks up at the stars. “Nah, Remi,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re brave. Because you knew it’d hurt.” He smiles a little, a dimpleflashing in his cheek as he dips his chin. “You knew it, and you did it anyway, facing it head on.Fucking brave.”His eyes lock on mine, his voice little more than a whisper. “And watching you leave, even after what I did… what I said, me calling the cab…” He shrugs. “That shit hurt like hell.”He smiles small at me. “I knew that might happen, too. But I know that no matter where this world takes us,I’ll never forget you, baby.”He steps closer to me, but keeps his hands in his pockets. “That’s worth all the pain to me. Having a love that’ll never leave my fucking head.”

I frown at that. “So are you brave, Cortland, or are you stupid?”

He laughs a little. “To tell you the truth, Remi, baby, for you,” he dips his head to mine, staring into my eyes.“I’m a little of both.”

CHAPTER

FIFTY-SEVEN

CORTLAND

Slowingto a jog on the street outside of mine and Storm’s house, I wipe my wrist over my brow, breathing hard, Breaking Benjamin in my ear. For a second, that fire from last night flashes in my head. I got there when the flames were still licking up the side of the building.

My only saving grace was knowing Remi wasn’t there.

But now, hearing her words from last night in my head, I’m not sure she was anywhere better.

I helped her move her things over this morning to her temporary dorm, and thankfully Sloane wasn’t there. I’m not sure Remi’s ready for all that, the three of us meeting again.

Their stuff wasn’t damaged, because they don’t have an end unit.

I can still smell her on me from when she slept over. We talked about her mom, and a little about my own. She fell asleep in my arms, and it felt good.

But tonight, she wanted to meetVan.She didn’t mention Sloane at all, and I asked her about what they discussed in the parking lot, but she didn’t want to talk about it.

She’d driven eight hours yesterday, so I eventually just let her sleep.

God knows she fucking deserves it.

Bringing me to the present, I hear a vehicle behind me. I step off the road, onto the grass as headlights flood the street in front of me, spilling yellow over the darkness.

But the vehicle slows.

I rip out my earbuds, shove them in my pocket and turn my head.

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