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"When Ethan approached me, I was on my way back to the hospital. In so many words, he said if I didn't go with him to his event, my dad's job would be in jeopardy. My family just recently lost everything they had. We were homeless. I couldn't afford not to do as he was asking, but when he used the same pickup line you did, my heart sank. Everything I thought about how you might have used me was suddenly confirmed when he said, "Princess, I can't get another you," so I decided to play the game. I knew whatever he might have planned involved you, but I wanted to get you back for hurting me."
I stop her before she can turn this moment into another fight. Every time we take two steps forward, I swear we take ten steps back.
"Gianna, this has to stop. His choosing of those words is a complete coincidence. What we have is ours, and if any part of you wants me, you need to stop pushing me away. You have to let me in and talk to me."
I push myself out of the chair, furious that he was able to corner her and make her feel like she meant nothing to me. I run my hands through my hair before dropping down in front of her once more. My hands run up her thighs because I can't keep them to myself. I need to touch her, and I need her to hear my words, so she doesn't ever question my heart again.
"Gianna, you can't shatter to pieces on my cock, kiss me like your next breath depends on it, and tell me I have the power to break you only to then stand here and accuse me of playing some game with you. You know what we have is so much more." She sits perfectly still, barely breathing, with her eyes glued to my every move. I already know what she hasn't seemed to figure out. If I'm touching her, she's mine. She can't refuse me. I choose my next words carefully. "We're finishing this tonight. No more hiding, no more secrets, let me in, let me keep you."
She hesitantly bites her lower lip in thought and then says, "Okay."
I stare at her, completely frozen, almost scared to move because my mind isn't sure if she really just conceded. Could it have happened that easily?
Smiling, she brings her hand up to cup my face. "I don't think I really stopped being yours. I was just trying to convince myself that I wasn't, that you weren't and aren't good for me."
Just as I'm about to lean in and kiss her, my phone alarm sounds.
"Damn it," I hiss out, as her eyes widen in horror at the potential threat. "Oh my god, is someone coming?" I bury my head in her lap and shake it because, for whatever reason, I can never catch a break when it comes to her.
"No, Mason's awake." I feel her tense under me before she pushes my shoulders up. "What do you mean he's awake? How do you know he's awake?" Now she's panicking. I grab her hands and pull her with me towards the door.
"Come on, baby, I'll take you there."
Once we're in the car and en route to the hospital, I grab her hand and intertwine our fingers. Touching her calms me, and makes me feel grounded when everything around me seems out of my control.
"When I left the hospital that day, I didn't stop watching you. I didn't stop caring about you. I left because you had just been through something traumatic, and I was trying to give you the space you needed to process. I had eyes on Mason at the hospital to make sure I knew his progress, and therefore, your state of mind."
I glance over to see how she is processing my confession. From a simple squeeze of her hand, relief floods my system. "I get that. My highs and lows were based on his progress." She goes back to staring out the window before asking, "Did you have something to do with my newfound workload?" I pick up our joined hands and kiss hers. "Yes, but I was very discrete about it. I wanted to make sure you didn't lose your job since you just started and didn't have personal time to use." Her eyes get glassy before she says, "Thank you."
Pulling into the parking lot, I can tell she's nervous. She doesn't jump to race inside like I thought she would. Instead, she stays seated, fiddling with the silk designs on her dress. "Tell me," I say.
"I know you don't want to leave me, but I haven't spoken to Mason since the night he showed up at your apartment."Fuck
I wish I had known that last Wednesday when I walked out. Everything makes so much more sense now. That one little confession almost justifies all the grief I've endured. She felt guilty about being with me and still does. I know he means something to her and vice versa. They have a bond, and I don't know how deep it runs. I don't know the depth of their relationship. While I know they haven't slept together, I also know that he wants her as more than a friend.
"Can you let me do this on my own?" Her eyes meet mine, and I see the sadness and regret. There is no way I will refuse her this, even though it kills me. She is opening up to me and being honest about what's going on, and it doesn't hurt that we are now officially a couple.
"I am going to walk you in, but I'll wait in the cafeteria." She nods, and we exit the car. When we get to the elevator, I pull her into me and hold her tight. She holds me with just as much intensity, which offers me the comfort I didn't know I needed. Knowing she is as emotionally invested as I am makes all of this easier to swallow. But I hate that I'm letting her go up alone tonight of all nights. I had to steal her from one man just to take her to another. I pull back from our embrace and lean down to kiss her lips before saying, "Text me when you get to his room and when you leave."
She checks her purse and pulls out her phone. "Okay, I can't promise I won't be too long. There are things I need to say." I nod and hit the elevator button, it immediately opens, and I watch as she enters, taking a piece of my heart with her. At that moment, I realize I'm in love with Gianna Moretti.
Mason
Twenty-One
It'steno'clockatnight, and I've been awake for a little over eight hours. I've been in the hospital for ten days. For the most part, I remember the last six days. My family has been in and out, while Gigi hasn't left my side until today. The hardest thing about being in a coma, at least for me, was that I could hear everything going on around me, but I couldn't move my body. It was incredibly frustrating but also very enlightening. I learned a lot about the people in my life when they didn't know if I could hear them or not.
My parents, for example. They have never had a good relationship. My mom would always tell me that my dad cared about his work more than us, which I assumed is why she started cheating, seeking attention from men that would give it to her. The part I didn't know was that my dad threw himself into his work because he knew my mom was having affairs long before he ever officially divorced her.
Eventually, he left her because he didn't want to give her any piece of what he built when she couldn't support him and be faithful. He stayed for me until he couldn't. For some reason, I always thought he walked in on her with another guy and couldn't stand to look at her. I never knew that it was happening for years or that he was trying to keep his family together for me. My dad cared for me more than I realized and still does.
The night of the crash, I was driving my dad's new Audi while mine was in the shop for repairs. He had the car excavated from the river with the intent to sue the manufacturer for faulty breaks. But as it turns out, the breaks were tampered with, which was a game-changer for me.
The night Gigi called me for a ride home broke me. I had no idea she was with August. We had been making progress on our future as a couple, and I thought we were happy. Literally the night before, we almost had sex. She almost gave me the only part of her I've never had, so finding her with him was confounding.
While I've been laid up in this bed, Gigi has sat by my side and confessed many things. One of them is how much she loves me, and how she would do anything to take it back, not just the sex but everything. Yes, she confessed to giving him her virginity, which crushed me because she almost gave it to me, and that night we shared on the bluff meant the world to me. I hadn't realized that she was all I ever wanted until that moment.
Over the years, I've taken Gigi for granted. I've always known that she wanted more from me, from our relationship, but instead of taking the love she so freely offered, I made excuses. The truth is, I didn't want to let her in. She was too good for me, and I wanted to stay broken. I wanted to party, hook up, use, and be used in high school. Gigi saw the side of me I wanted her to see. She saw the man I wanted to be. Maybe, in the end, I'm getting what I deserve. Before the accident, I thought it was possible that I wasn't the better man. After all, I have my own ugly truths, one of them being where I was the night of the accident, but now I can't just walk away.
