Page 71 of Crash
Griffin resisted the urge to punch a hole in the wall. He’d only have to fix it later, and he had other things to worry about.
Even knowing she was gone, he still checked the bedroom. Finding it empty, an ache started in his chest, spreading deeper into his core.
She couldn’t have at least waited for me? After everything we’ve been through, don’t I deserve a chance to explain?
“Fuck!” His barely controlled rage was a volcano waiting to erupt. He needed to get out of here.
Belatedly, he wondered if she took the damn cat with her. Though a seedling of hope was buried beneath layers of frustration, it was quickly squashed when he found his house empty of the feline creature.
She would need to return, eventually, didn’t she?
After all, she still had her father and stepsister. Griffin knew how important those budding relationships were for her. He didn’t think she would abandon them. Maybe he didn’t deserve a second chance, but he knew Quynh well enough that she wouldn’t let the opportunity of having a relationship with the last remaining members of her family go to waste.
What did it make me? Someone expendable in her life?
He couldn’t help but think as he jumped in the shower and washed away the dirt clinging to his skin.
Quynh was just a woman. He’d lived his whole life before her and was fine. He could do it again.
The lies he told himself tasted bitter even to himself.
His heart would never recover from her departure.
Griffin’s biggest regret was not telling her how much she meant to him when he still had her in his arms.
Now, it was too late.
She was gone.
thirty-three
QUYNH
The drive away from Willowbrook was harder than she thought possible. The further she drove, the more painful it was. Almost as if she was leaving her heart behind while her body traveled away from its home. Her heart and her mind warred with each other, cleaving her apart until she could barely make sense of what was left.
When she crossed over state lines, though, the gut-wrenching sensation of having her heart ripped in half was visceral. A bloody mess left oozing in her chest. She never realized how painful leaving Griffin would be. Instead of turning the car around, she soldiered on. Focused on her navigation app as it directed her back to her old life. She kept the radio off. She didn’t need to hear anyone else’s heartbreak. Hers was enough to last her ten lifetimes.
About a few hours away from the city, she pulled over and pretended to fuel up at the gas station while the tearsstarted up again. They finally stopped falling when she was about an hour outside of city limits.
You’re being ridiculous.
She was acting as if she were in love and was leaving him far behind.
Love.
What a scary concept.
Was this love?
A deep sense of dread at the idea of no longer seeing Griffin’s grumpy face or how her life now seemed colorless at the prospect of being on her own. Again.
She missed Griffin more than she should for someone she really only knew for a few weeks.
Was it even possible to love someone in such a short time?
The sex was amazing. Their connection seemed to transcend anything she ever thought was possible. Griffin knew her body better than she did.
The way he seemed to know what she needed, even when she didn’t have a clue. Or how he cooked for her and made sure she always had a full plate of warm food to eat. And the adorable way he’d frown when she didn’t clean her plate, as if he was worried she was too skinny.
