AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was good to me. He had always been good to me. He was the best thing I could have ever asked for.
Before I could think twice about it, I rushed after him. When I made it to the bottom floor, I found him in the kitchen, dumping a mug of liquid into the sink.
“Vince.”
He stiffened, dropping the mug on the counter roughly.
My heart jumped but I took a chance and went up to him. I needed to tell him how he hurt me so many years ago. Maybe he didn’t even realize he had.
“I’m sorry.” I stepped up behind him, placing my hands on his strong back and leaning the side of my head against him.
“You need to talk to me.” His deep voice vibrated into my ear.
“I don’t like talking.” I pushed away from him. “I never have. You’d think I was a guy or something.” I looked down at my feet. “I hate talking about my feelings.”
“And I hate making you talk about your feelings.” A firm finger pushed under my chin, tilting my head back. “But we can’t move forward if I don’t know what’s bothering you. I feel like I’ve done something.” He searched my face, waiting for an answer but when I didn’t give him any, he huffed, releasing me. “Tell me one thing.”
My stomach twisted.
“These past few weeks and last night. Tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself.”
“Of course, I enjoyed myself,” I told him. “You think I didn’t?”
He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms under his broad chest. The veins in his forearms popped at the movement. The white t-shirt he was wearing was loosely tucked into gray sweatpants and although he was dressed casually, it still sent this flutter of desire rushing through me. “I’m not sure. One moment I think you want more and then you do this.”
“Do what?” But I knew. I fell into myself and I didn’t know how to get out.
“You run.” He pushed away from the counter and came toward me. “You want to run, you run toward me. You understand?”
“Vince,” I whispered.
“I asked you a question, Queenie. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I snapped. “I understand. Of course, I understand. But maybe instead of you just fucking standing there, you should runwithme.” I knew we weren’t talking about exercise but a metaphor instead, and if that was the only way I could tell him my feelings, then it was how it had to be.
In a quick move, Vince stood right in front of me. “You have no reason, no reason at all to push me away.”
My jaw clenched, my teeth grinding down hard. “I know that.” I had to take a step back to look up at him without craning my neck, but I had nowhere to go. I was caged in between him and the wall.
He bent at the waist, meeting me at eye level. “I will spend the rest of my life running with you but if you need some time alone, I’m asking you to make sure that I’m the only thing you’re running toward.”
My heart stuttered. Reaching out a hand, I brushed my fingers along the dark scruff on his jaw.
“Promise me, Gigi.” He kissed my fingers as they passed along his mouth.
“I promise.”
***
(Vince)
I looked for a sign that she was lying but when I didn’t see any indication that she didn’t mean her promise, I let out a sigh of relief. I could do as she asked and take this slow as long as she never doubted my feelings for her.
I kissed Gigi one last time before pulling away and making her another tea. I had dumped out the original because the walls she had built up, pissed me off. It had taken everything in me not to throw the mug against the wall but then rationale hit me, and I thought better of it.
When I finished making her tea, I handed it to her.
She whispered a thanks and started sipping from the hot liquid. That single word had been so soft, I wasn’t even sure I heard her correctly. But it didn’t matter. She could try and keep me at a safe distance all she wanted. Little did she know that I would do anything to make her see that we were meant to be together. But I had a feeling that it would be when neither of us could take it anymore and we just…
