Page 3 of Crazy Obsession
Adam
She doesn’t look back as she walks over the asphalt and into the morning light.
Lenor Daniels walks away from me like I’m nothing but another mistake, her boots crunching against the gravel as the morning light catches in her dark hair.My chest burns as I watch her retreat, every step tearing at something inside me I don’t have words for.
And I don’t follow.Because as much as I want to—and God knows I want to—I know better.
She’s broken.Shattered.Crumbling in ways that make me want to rip Jacob Wilson apart limb from limb with my bare fucking hands.And chasing her right now won’t fix a damn thing.
So I sit there in my truck, fists gripping the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, and force my breathing to even out as she disappears down the street.The cab smells like her, vanilla shampoo and tears, and the ghost of her kiss lingers on my lips like a brand.The kiss I’ve been dreaming about since I was thirteen.
Back then, she was just the girl on the bleachers.The one who never laughed at my screwups, who rolled her eyes but still smiled when I cracked a joke, who made “Lennie” sound like the sweetest name in the world.
I didn’t think I’d ever get to touch her, not really.And now that I have, I know I’ll never be the same again.I was already infatuated, half in love and all the way in lust.But now?Now, I’m fucking obsessed.
I drag a hand through my hair, groaning low in my throat.“Fuck.”
This is dangerous territory.I don’t do serious and I certainly don’t do promises.That’s Wesley’s thing.And probably Shane’s too.But me?I’m the youngest Blake, the one people shake their heads over.Reckless Adam Blake, the screwup of the family.The one who’ll never grow up, never settle down, and never stop being trouble.It’s a role I’ve played so long, maybe I started to believe it myself.Until her.
Lenor Daniels is not just another girl.Not just another one-night roll around.She’sit.She is fucking forever and the only girl, woman, that can ever make me think this way.
And now I’ve gone and kissed her at her lowest, when her heart was bleeding all over the place.I havetheworst timing in history.She had every reason to slam the door in my face and never open it again.But still...
The way she fit against me, soft and trembling but strong underneath it all.The way she clung to me like I was the only steady thing in a world that just caved in.I’m fucking ruined.And maybe I’m a fool, but I can’t stop the vow rising in my chest.
I’m going to prove myself.To her.To everyone who thinks I’m just a reckless Blake with nothing to offer.And one day, she’s going to look at me and see more than the town’s troublemaker.One day, she’ll see that I’m the man who loves her.Even if it kills me to wait.
I drive aimlessly for a while, because going home means questions I don’t want to answer.Wesley’s probably still fuming, and Shane’s got that big-brother way of looking at me like I’m a lost cause.And I don’t have the patience to hear their theories about my love life before I’ve even figured them out myself.I don’t want to be told how this is a bad idea, because I’ve been saying that to myself for years and it hasn’t done a damn thing to change how I feel.
I end up at the old, abandoned quarry on the outskirts of Severn.
It’s quiet here.Just the sound of water lapping against rock and the rustle of wind through the trees.I park, kill the engine, and climb onto the hood of my truck, staring at the sky as the sun edges higher.
The thing about growing up a Blake is you don’t really get to be your own man.You’re either living up to the name or dragging it down.Wesley’s the responsible one.Shane’s the steady one.And I’m the cautionary tale.I let the town believe that story because it was easier than proving them wrong.
But looking back at Lenor’s face tonight, those tear-streaked cheeks, those eyes full of betrayal, I know I can’t keep being the version of myself they all expect.Not if I want her to be mine.Not if I want her to trust me with her heart.And I do, I really fucking want that.
I want her laughter, and the way she tilts her head when she’s about to cut someone down with words sharp enough to leave a mark.I want the way she fusses over people she loves, even when she swears she doesn’t give a shit.I want the fight in her, the fire that burns in her soul.
I want all of it—the good, the bad, and the ugly.Hell, I want forever with her.
The thought makes me groan again, dragging both hands over my face.Forever?Me?I’ve never even had a relationship last more than a few weeks and that was back in high school.Most of the time, I don’t even bother learning last names.But with Lenor, it’s different.It always has been.I have been hoarding information about her for as long as I can remember, for the day when she actually gives me a chance.So I can prove I’m not just looking for a good time.And that scares the shit out of me.
Because what if she never forgives herself for falling for Jacob in the first place?What if she never trusts herself enough to fall for anyone again?What if she keeps running, and I can’t catch her?What if I never get my fucking chance?
No.I can’t think like that.
I’ve spent years living down to expectations.Maybe it’s time I finally try living up to something.For her.For me.
I don’t know how long I sit there, watching the water glint under the early morning sun, making promises no one but me will ever hear.Long enough that when my phone buzzes in my pocket, I nearly jump.
The screen lights up with Wesley’s name.I almost ignore it, but my thumb swipes across the glass anyway.“Yeah?”
“Are you alive?”His voice is sharp and tense.
“Define alive.”It’s a shitty answer and I know it but those are the words that fall from my lips.
“Don’t be an ass, Adam.You saw what happened last night.”
