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“For what it’s worth, I get it. I know what it’s like to need the pain, the hurt... I shouldn’t have interfered.”
I feel stripped bare under her sympathetic green gaze. “I still can’t believe he did this,” I say, changing the subject.
“Conner loves deeply, so it only makes sense he would feel deeply. He found out the girl he loves was hurt, and he couldn’t fix it. You hurt, he hurts. It’s not that hard to believe.” She gives me a small smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to get some rest?”
“I’m okay, thanks.” I want to be with him when he wakes.
“I’ll be just down the hall if you need me.” Hadley leaves me alone, and I get up and kick off my sneakers, climbing gingerly on the bed beside Conner. A small groan vibrates in his throat as I press my body as close to his as I can get without hurting him.
“K?” he whispers, but he sounds asleep.
“Shh, Conner.” I rest my hand on his arm. “I’m right here, and I’m not going away ever again.”
Light flickers across my face as I crack an eye open. “What the—” Memories of the night before slam into me one after another.
Conner is still sleeping soundly beside me. I ghost my fingers over his face. The bruising looks worse today, but some of the swelling has gone down.
“Why?” I whisper, my heart breaking all over again. “Why, Conner?”
“You should see the other guy,” he croaks.
“Conner, thank God.”
“I thought I was dreaming. I felt you... and I thought I was dreaming.”
“I’m right here.” I can’t resist pressing a kiss to his temple.
“Did I die and go to heaven?” A hint of a smile plays on his lips. “Fuck, that hurts.”
One of his eyes is swollen shut and the other is smattered with dark, ugly bruises.
“Why would you do this to yourself?”
“Because I needed to do something, K. I wanted to kill him. I would have... but he wasn’t there so...”
“You let someone beat you half to death?” Disbelief coats my words.
“I wasn’t supposed to lose.”
“Conner...” I pull away, only for him to wrap an arm around me and tuck me into his side.
“Fuuuuck,” he hisses with pain.
“Maybe I should—”
“Don’t you dare.” He sounds tired, but there’s a playful lilt to his voice that makes my heart swell.
Even in the darkest of skies, Conner finds a way to shine.
“I was so scared when I saw you lying there,” I admit. “I thought you were...” My voice cracks.
“Shh. I’m okay. I’ll be okay. It hurts like a bitch now, but it’s worth it. Having you here, like this.”
“I’m sorry.” I force the words out over the lump in my throat. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I just couldn’t find the words... and I hated you. God, I hated you for leaving me with him and turning your back on me.”
With gritted teeth, Conner manages to shift slightly so we’re face to face. “I would never turn my back on you, K. You mean too fucking much to me. But after I got your message asking me to leave you alone, I figured I’d finally lost you.”
“I didn’t send you a message, Conner.”
