Page 48 of The Beat of My Heart
“No, I’m not going over this again, Loki. I can’t have access to her once we leave here, that’s it,” I say.
“Just think about it, Trevor. You have a couple of days left with her, but think about what your life will be like always wondering if she was the one. It seems like a pretty fucking miserable life if you ask me,” Loki says.
“I won’t wonder, Loki. I already know, but this is the only way,” I tell him.
Shaking his head, he mumbles, “Stubborn asshole,” and walks away.
In my head, I hear, ‘Don’t fall too hard…I’ll break you.’ Angel has brought music and light to my life in just a few short days, and I know in only a few more, the music will die once again, and I’ll be plunged back into darkness.
Chapter 16
-Life on Earth, Snow Patrol
Julia
Ifeel him before I see him. My body so in tune with his. I know he is behind me before he’s even spoken a word.
Peeking over my shoulder, I see a man on the edge. Six-feet-three inches of muscle held together by a tightrope. Whatever has him worked up has to be significant. I can see every muscle, every tendon pulled tight across his body, ready to explode. A storm he can barely contain. It should scare me, but like a moth to a flame, I’m drawn to him.
Excusing myself from the group, I turn to him.
“Angel,” just one word, one breath, and I feel his control slip.
Cupping his face, I lean in, “Open your heart so I can reach you,” I sing.
Pressing into my touch, he replies, “You will start a war.”
He gets me.
Continuing to Julia-tize The Chainsmokers, I whisper, “I want to see your darkness and your light,” I don’t get to finish because the next thing I know, he is dragging me from the ballroom.
“Is there anyone you need to say goodbye to, Angel?” he asks, sounding desperate.
“No,” I say.Just you, my head shouts.
We arrive at the elevator before Charlie speaks again, “I need you tonight, Angel.”
“You have me,” I say without hesitation, but confusion lacing my voice.
The elevator door chimes and he ushers me in. We stand on opposite sides of the elevator, staring at each other. His breathing is heavy and erratic, his hands have turned white on the railing he is holding on to.
Strolling across the compact space, I place a hand on his chest, “Charlie, what is it?”
His breathing slows almost immediately as he covers my hand with his own. My palm splayed across his heart; I feel it beating rapidly through his suit jacket.
“My life is not my own at the moment, Angel. No matter what I want, there are rules I have to follow,” he says sadly.
“You speak in riddles sometimes, Charlie. I don’t know what to make of it,” I tell him honestly.
The elevator opens to our floor, and we exit, side by side. At the end of the hall, Charlie breaks. Taking the key from my hand, he kicks open the door and hauls me through. Slamming the door behind us, his hands are everywhere at once.
“Lift your arms,” he commands.
Doing as he asks, I don’t break eye contact with him. In the depths of his soul, I see pain, hatred, love, and confusion. This beautifully broken heart is shattering before my very eyes.
In one fluid motion, he lifts my dress over my head and tosses it to the floor. Charlie is breathing so heavily, he’s panting, and I see him trying to gain control.
“Let go, Charlie. With me, let go.”
