Page 33 of Don't Leave
This me, the one that emerged from the wreckage, is more tentative. Scared. Nervous. Reserved.
Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever be whole again.
It makes me want to curl up in a tight little ball and cry for all that’s been lost. All I want is to feel normal again.
Lost in the jumbled thoughts that crash around inside my head, I startle when Cole’s arms gently band around me.
He presses a kiss against my shoulder before whispering, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He drops another soft caress against my skin. “You know I’d never hurt you.”
I draw in a deep breath and do a quick self-check. No tightening in my chest. No fighting for breath. I’m okay. Everything is okay.
“You didn’t,” I lie, because more than anything, I want that to be the truth.
His lips settle at the delicate hollow of my neck. “I did and I’m sorry.”
If I’m going to do this, it needs to be now before I lose my nerve.
“I saw you with Jackie tonight on the stairs.”
When his muscles stiffen, I turn in his arms so I can read the expression in his golden-brown eyes.
An expression I’m unable to read flickers across his face. “Oh.”
As I search his gaze, his are doing the same, carefully sifting through mine for answers to questions he has yet to ask. I realize with a sinking heart that we’re both keeping secrets.
“She introduced herself when I was coming back from the bathroom.”
He glances away before shoving his fingers through his messy hair. The urge to tug all those thick, chocolaty-colored strands into place bubbles up inside me. Instead, I keep my hands to myself.
“Did you two speak for long?” he asks tightly.
“Ten minutes or so.” But it was more than enough.
“What did she say?” A muscle tics in his jaw as anger brims in his eyes.
“She said you two had grown up together and were close friends before you started going out in high school.” There’s a beat of silence before I add, “And that you two were serious.Really serious.”
“Yes,” he whispers hoarsely as if hearing those words is actually painful. “Did she tell you how it ended?”
I bite down on my lower lip. “She cheated on you and…ended up pregnant.”
Cole’s eyes become shuttered. It’s the strangest thing to watch someone who has always been so open and unguarded become devoid of expression.
“There’s nothing between us, Cassidy. I haven’t seen her since before we broke up. She means nothing to me.”
My hand rises to stroke over his cheek. “She wants you back. Did she tell you that?”
He shakes his head as his hand rises to still my fingers so that I’m able to cup the side of his face. “No.”
“She understands that she lost the best thing in her life and now wants it back. She wantsyouback.” I shake my head. “I can’t really blame her for that.”
“Cassidy,” the closed off expression dissolves before being replaced by a fierceness I’ve never seen before, “I love you.Only you. She’s not going to come between us.” He tugs me into his arms until we’re able to hold onto one another for dear life before whispering against my hair, “And I won’t let Luke come between us either.”
CHAPTER 12
CASSIDY
Igulp down a fresh burst of nerves. “Is it too late to cancel?”
