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Chapter 1
“Kayleigh, wait!” He shouts and chases after me.
I don’t obey, choosing to run down the steps and out to the road. Holden follows behind me, not letting up, and the rest of the party gathers onto the front porch to watch what’s happening.
“Please don’t leave! You have to listen to me!” He pleads.
I stop and turn around angrily. “What, Holden?! What the hell do you want from me?! You want me to be your emotional punching bag? The girl you can push away and pull back when it’s convenient for you? I’m not a god damn boomerang. I’m not always going to come back when you do something fucked up. If that’s what you want, then go be with one of the mindless freshmen that fall at your feet, because that’s not me.”
“That’s not at all what I want, and you know it.”
“No. I don’t know what you want. I don’t know anything when it comes to you anymore. One minute you love me, the next you’re leaving me at a bar in Cabo or telling me to go snort something up my nose. I can’t keep up with the constant back and forth, and I’m not going to pretend I can. So just tell me, what the fuck do you want?”
“I want you.” He replies, a tear slipping from his cheek.
I scoff and take a step back. “Yeah, for today.”
“No, not just for today. Forever.”
Exhaling tiredly, I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe you.” I spin on my heels and start to walk away from him.
“Kayleigh?!” He shouts in a panic. It causes me to stop but I don’t dare to turn around as his next words leave his lips. “Marry me.”
I stay motionless, wondering if I even heard him correctly. Did he really just ask me that? If the circumstances were different, and we weren’t standing in the middle of the road, and he wasn’t drunk, and we weren’t currently broken up – I may have considered it. But they’re not, and we are. The frantic tone of his voice is enough to tell me that he probably didn’t mean it anyway.
Dropping my head, I walk away, not allowing myself to glance back at the boy who can play my heartstrings like a violin.
AFTER TOSSING AND TURNING for what feels like forever, I finally manage to fall asleep just before my phone wakes me again. As Dawson’s name appears, I notice it’s two in the morning. Groaning, I answer it and put it to my ear.
“Daws, I love you and I know it was crazy, but it’s 2 AM. I promise I’ll fill you in, but can we please just talk about it tomorrow?
“No. Kayleigh, listen.” He interjects. “Holden’s in an ambulance on his way to the hospital.”
I sit up abruptly, feeling like my heart is shattering inside of my chest. “Come get me, now.”
He gets to my dorm within minutes. I jump into the car and cannot stop fidgeting in the passenger seat. He doesn’t have any answers to my questions, other than telling me Josephine screamed for Jason to call 911. As soon as we get to the hospital, I stumble out of the car and rush inside.
Immediately in the waiting room, I can see Jo, Jason, and Caleb, all waiting. Jo spots me and runs into my arms, tears streaming down her face. I hold her tightly, rubbing her back for comfort.
“Thank God you’re here.” She sobs into my shoulder.
When she finally pulls away, I ask the million-dollar question. “What the hell happened?!”
Jo goes back to sitting on Jason’s lap, clearly wrecked with emotion. I choose the seat across from them and Dawson joins me.
“Well, after you left, Holden didn’t want to be around anyone. When we all went back inside, he grabbed a couple bottles of liquor and went up to his bedroom. I figured he would take a few shots and go to sleep.” Josephine explains. “But when I went to check on him before I went to bed, I found him unconscious and covered in vomit on the floor.” She pauses, trying to hold in her emotions. “Kayleigh, he was barely breathing.”
The description of it alone makes it feel like my world is crashing down around me. “Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay.”
Caleb shrugs while Jason comforts Jo. “We’re still waiting for the doctor.”
I run my fingers through my hair frustratedly, trying to come to grips with all of this. “I just don’t understand. Why would me walking away from a fake proposal cause him to drink himself into oblivion?”
They all look at me as if I’m the dumbest person in the room. Jo opens and closes her mouth, trying to figure out what to say. “F-fake proposal?”
“Yeah…” I reply. “I mean he was panicking. It was just an attempt to keep me. It’s not like he actually wants to get married.”
Caleb barks out a laugh, Jason looks amused, Josephine face-palms, and Dawson just pats my head like I’m a child. All their reactions cause everything in my mind to come to a screeching halt.
“Wait, he actually wants to get married?!”
“Yes, baby.” Jo confirms. “He’s even talked to my mom about it, more than once.”
“He’s mentioned it to us, too.” Caleb mentions, Jason nodding along with him.
I throw my head back and groan loudly. Now it all makes sense. Yes, he was freaking out and wanted to keep me, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t meant it every time h
e’s promised me forever. You’ve got to be kidding me. This stupid asshole proposed to me while drunk and in the middle of an argument. Jesus Christ, he’s lucky I love him.
I don’t even have a minute to think it over, before the doctor comes out and walks toward us. Jo and I freeze and we all stare at him, trying to prepare ourselves for what may come out of his mouth.
“I need a family member of Holden Rivers.” He says, looking at all of us.
Josephine stands from Jason’s lap. “I’m his sister.” She murmurs, following him over to the counter. However, just before she gets there, she turns and reaches for me. I go over to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing tightly.
“Are you his sister as well?” The doctor questions.
Jo shakes her head before I can answer. “She’s his fiancé.”
It’s not true, but I don’t have the heart to correct her right now. Besides, my concern is Holden.
