Page 11 of Scar Tissue

I cross my arms, mirroring her stance. “I’m not hovering. Just happened to step out for some air.”

She lets out a soft huff of disbelief, her lips curving into the faintest shadow of a smile before she turns her gaze back to the horizon. “Right. Just a coincidence.”

I shrug, even though she can’t see it, and I’m hanging onto that thread of a smile she gave me, hoping to bring more out. “Believe what you want. But if Iwerehovering, it would only be because I care. That’s not a crime, is it?”

She doesn’t respond immediately, her fingers brushing the weathered wood of the railing. The silence stretches again before she speaks, her voice quieter. “It’s not a crime. But you don’t have to. Care, I mean.”

I feel a pang in my chest, her words landing heavier than I expect. I feel both pain for myself and pain for her that she thinks I wouldever be capable ofnotcaring for her. “That’s not really up to you, is it?”

Her head turns sharply, her eyes locking onto mine. They’re guarded, but there’s something else there, something fragile and raw that she’s desperately trying to hide. “Why are you like this?” she asks, almost accusingly.

“Like what?” I challenge gently.

She gestures between us, frustration flaring briefly in her expression before she closes the distance that separates us. “Like…so persistent. Like I’m something worth—” She cuts herself off, pressing her lips together as though she regrets letting the words slip.

“Because youare.Jesus, Thea. Don’t you know how special you are?” I say, my voice steady, and her eyes widen. For a second, I wonder if she’s going to bolt, but she doesn’t. She just stares at me. The breeze picks up, carrying the scent of rain more strongly now. A piece of her hair flies into her face and I tuck it behind her ear without thinking, her breathing stopping altogether at the small contact. I need to be careful not to let the fragile thread holding her here break, so I don’t do anything else. “I know you’ve been through hell. One I no doubt have a feeling you blame me for. I wasn’t there for you in the past, and I know you think you have to do this on your own. This thing with Lucas. But you don’t. I’m here now, and I’m not running this time.”

She exhales, not quite a laugh. “You really are stubborn, aren’t you?”

“Call it what you want, but I mean it.”

I’m surprised she isn’t arguing—a nice change in pace from our conversation upon waking up—but she just sighs. “You’re exhausting, Nathan.”

“And you’re deflecting. But that’s okay, because I’m patient,” I counter.

“Here comes your savior act.Again.”Her voice is tight as she says it, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

I swallow hard, every instinct telling me to pull back and to keep my distance. “No, but I do think you need someone to fight alongside you. I think you deserve someone who won’t let you fight alone, no matter how much you push them away.” Her gaze pierces mine as we continue to stand there and stare at each other, unable to look away. My heart begins to beat faster, but I hold my ground. Her lips part, like she’s about to respond, and I swear the world slows down around us as she glances to my own and then back to my eyes. We’re inches apart now, and I can feel the warmth radiating off her body despite the cool night air. I could kiss her right now. She might let me. I almost taste the moment and I lean forward, just the slightest amount, and I see her hesitation in the way her body tenses again. She stops herself, pulling back abruptlyand putting distance between us, and whatever brief connection we had is gone.

“I don’t need you, Nathan,” she says, her voice cool, but her eyes betray her and I know she felt it, too. “And I don’t need you pitying me.”

The words hurt, hitting deep, but I don’t let it show. If me being her punching bag is what she needs to get past whatever is keeping her walls up, so be it. “Once again, this isn’t pity. It’s about not letting you disappear into this alone. So hate me for it if you want, but what’s done is done.”

She looks away, her jaw tight, clearly torn between wanting to push me away and wanting to let me in. I turn to walk away when I hear her mutter, so quietly I almost don’t hear it, “I don’t hate you.” I don’t know if she meant for me to hear her or not. But I did. And I don’t know how I’m going to be able to handle this—the almost kiss, the almost connection, and the walls that seem to be built two bricks higher for every one knocked down. But one thing I do know? She felt it, too. She felt what has always been there between us, like a pile of embers waiting for the perfect amount of fuel and oxygen to bring it to life.

Screaming wakes me from sleep some hours later, but it isn’t coming from Thea’s room. I quickly grab my weapon from where it’s strapped underneath my nightstand and pull on a pair of sweats before exiting my room. It isn’t dark out anymore, so I highly doubt someone has broken in, but you never know. When I open my door, the distressed voice becomes more clear and Idorecognize it as Thea’s, her open door all the confirmation I need to make the connection. Is someone else here with her? I tuck the weapon into the waistband of my sweats, causing them to hang lower on my hips from the weight of the gun as I walk out to the kitchen and living area. Thea’s back is turned to me as she stares out the back door, one hand to her ear and one pulling at the hair piled on the top of her head.

“I’ve alreadytoldyou, I don’t care what the lawyer said, Lucas!You don’t have the luxury of rewriting history to make it more suitable to your needs!” she yells into the phone, and I can see the way her body is trembling from here. I pause where I’m at, leaning forward against the kitchen island, not wanting to intrude. “You cheated onme!Multiple times! Not the other way around. You don’t get to play the fucking victim, and don’t think that I’m going to roll over and let you make me the villain just because it’s easier for you and you’re worried about your damn reputation. You should’ve thought about that before you tore our lives apart.” Her voice cracks on the last word, but she doesn’t back down.

I knew whatever had happened between them had been bad…but he cheated on her? Took her for granted? The very girl who has haunted my dreams for years. And he threw it all away. For what? A fleeting moment? A cheap thrill? The thought makes my blood boil. What a fucking idiot. She still hasn’t noticed me despite her now pacing in front of the door. If she looked in my direction, she would know I’ve been eavesdropping and it’ll probably piss her off more. But I can’t bring myself to leave. “Do not talk about my family, Lucas. You lost the right to bring them into anything the second you—” Whatever is happening on the other end of the line has caused her to stop mid-sentence. The hand that’s been in her hair drops to her side and she finally notices me standing there, watching her. “I have to go,” she snaps into the phone and hangs up, throwing it onto the couch.

“I’m assuming you heard most of that?” she asks me shakily as she intakes a deep breath, before letting it go.

I shrug. “It was kind of hard not to, I thought someone had broken in at first.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up. I just…he’s…never mind.” Her shoulders sag and she runs a hand down her face before looking at me fully.

“You okay?” It probably wasn’t the right question to ask, but I didn’t know what else to say.

She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re right, that was a stupidquestion. You want to talk about it, or should I pretend I didn’t hear anything?”

“What would you do if someone tried to rewrite your past just to make themself look like the good guy?”

I sit up from where I’m leaning over the counter and pull the gun from my waistband, setting it on the counter, and her eyes widen briefly before understanding crosses her face. “I guess it depends. Do I get to hit him, or is that off the table?”

She laughs and although it’s soft and the smile that accompanied it vanishes just as quickly, it was there. “Unfortunately, hitting him is off the table. For now, anyway. He’s trying to make it seem like I’m the reason everything fell apart between us. Telling people that I neglected him and was too cold and too distant toward him. Which I’m not going to deny, but it isn’t for the reason most people assume.”

I frown. “But he’s the one who cheated?”