Page 36 of Deliah
“Please,” I added, softer. “Can we not talk about it?”
His nostrils flared. His hands gripped the steering wheel again. Knuckles white. And then, so low I almost missed it, I heard him mutter, “I’ll fucking kill him.”
The words hit like a bullet to the chest. My stomach turned, and I couldn’t tell if it was fear or guilt or both.
“I said I’m fine,” I snapped, but my voice cracked halfway through.
He didn’t answer or look at me again. The rest of the drive was thick with silence—stifling, tense. My anxiety crawled up my throat like something alive. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw myself out of the car and run until I couldn’t feel anything. Because I’d let it happen, and I didn’t stop Jay. Now Damion knew, and he wasn’t the kind of man to just let that go. He parked at the cliff edge, engine still humming. We sat there, both staring out at the sea, pretending the silence was peaceful when it was anything but. I couldn’t even cry. Couldn’t do anything except sit there and feel like the worst kind of liar. And somehow—he still didn’t leave. He stayed. Fuming. Quiet. Protective in a way that made my heart ache. And I hated myself because I didn’t deserve him.
Later that night, curled up in my sheets with the lights off and my phone on silent, I cried. Not for Jay. Not even for Damion. For me. For the version of me that kept mistaking pain for passion. That let herself be hurt because she thought she deserved it. That couldn’t tell the difference between affection and control. I was fucking pathetic.
Chapter 15 –
You Don’t Get to Have Me
The following week, the workers’ party was coming up. The big one. Hot, wild, messy in the best and worst ways. Last year, I’d stumbled home with tequila in my hair, no idea how I got back, and a sunburn so bad I peeled for days. The whole thing was pure carnage—cheap shots, shrieking promoters, girls dancing on pool bars in club vests two sizes too small. It was tradition. Mayhem with a dress code. But this year felt different.
Cherry was going with Tommy. Dangerous, I know. Him out in broad daylight like he didn’t give a shit who saw him. And her? She didn’t care anymore either. At this point, I think she was falling. Hard. I couldn’t blame her; Tommy was solid. One of the few decent ones left and minted, too—not the flashy kind but the quiet, dependable kind that buys your favourite snacks withoutasking and pays your rent without ever making you feel like you owe him.
Me? I wasn’t feeling that lucky. The idea of showing up alone made me feel sick. I could already see it—me at the bar, clinging to Cherry like a child, drunk-texting Jay or crying in a toilet cubicle by 4 p.m. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be that girl again. So I did something stupid. I texted Damion. I hadn’t seen him since that night in the car. Since he looked at my bruised wrists as if he wanted to rip the world apart. Since I lied to his face and watched the fury flicker behind his eyes while he pretended not to know the truth. We hadn’t spoken. Not once. I told myself not to reach out. Told myself I’d already fucked it and that he’d seen enough, that silence was safer. But then I sat on my bed, legs curled under me, staring at my phone with that stupid pit in my stomach—and I typed it anyway.
Me:Hey. There’s a party this weekend. Workers’ thing. Thought you might wanna come.
I stared at the screen for a long time after pressing send. Heart pounding. Regretting it already. I didn’t expect a reply. And when my phone finally buzzed? I was scared to look.
Damion:What time?
That was it. Two words. No questions. No jabs. No mention of bruises or lies or the way I avoided him like a coward for days. Just:What time?And suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
I told Cherry I’d invited him, and she practically squealed down the phone. “Yesss! I love this for you.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” I laughed. “He might not even come. I can already see the disapproval on his face, and I haven’t even picked my outfit.”
“Babe, trust me. He’ll come. You’re magnetic.”
I rolled my eyes, but I smiled anyway. “What time you getting there?”
“I’m getting ready at Tommy’s, but I should be there for about one.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there.”
There was a pause, then I lowered my voice a little. “You not worried about getting caught?”
“Caught?”
“With Tommy. You two, all loved up in public, and every worker in town there?”
Cherry snorted. “We’re just gonna act like mates for the day. Keep it chill.”
I raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see me. “Cherry, you’ve told me you’d keep it chill before. Then proceeded to sit on his lap and feed him chips.”
“Shut up.” She laughed. “That was one time!”
“It was three.”
“Okay, well, this time I’m being serious. We’ll just hang out, act casual. No PDA.”
“Babe. I’ve seen you drunk. There’s no way you’re keeping your hands off him.”
