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Gavin
Present
Something jabsme in the ribs as I roll from my side onto my back. I swipe my hand behind me in an attempt to remove said object. I pat and swipe and wave my arm. Whatever it is, it’s still there. What the hell? I dig near my ribs and after no success locating the source, I flop over, land on my back and groan. Not only am I being stabbed by some invisible foreign object, but my body is on fire.
I open my eyes and squint, feeling disoriented for a moment.
Never-ending blue, puffy white clouds and the morning sun brighten the sky directly above. In my left periphery is a tall oak tree, the limbs hang overhead while the leaves flutter in the slight breeze. To my right is a row of bushy grass plants. The smell of grass and earth and something floral hits my nose. Birds chirp all around. Squirrels scamper past me. And I swear I hear ducks quacking nearby.
When I roll to sit up, every muscle in my body reacts. My back stiff, neck throbbing, shoulders sore, eyes swollen. Like I partied all night and missed all the good parts.
Once I reorient myself and attempt to work the pain from my muscles, I squint at my surroundings. Adjust to the brightness and focus on what is in front of me. Gray siding, black trim and window treatments, and bushy shrubs.
Cora’s house. More accurate—Cora’s back patio.
I glance over to the driveway and notice her car is still missing. And the fact that she hasn’t been at home all night worries me in more ways than one. She was so upset when she left my side last night. She tried to fight it, but I could tell the dam was about to burst the second she left. I only hope wherever she is, she arrived safe.
If anything happened to her, if she got into a car wreck, I would never forgive myself. Wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
“Fuck…” I mutter as I stretch my neck and back.
I walk over to the stoop by her back door and make myself comfortable. There is no way I am leaving until I know she is home and she is safe. Even if that means I sit here for hours. She may not want to talk to me right now, which I completely understand, but I won’t let her run away from this. From us.
Not when I just got her back. Not after all the strides we have made. The rekindling we have done. The love I saw in her eyes when she looked into mine. I refuse to lose her.
No matter what it takes, I will fight for her. For me. For us. No chance in hell I am letting this slip through the cracks. And although it took me far too long to come back to her—and under the wrong circumstances—I won’t throw in the towel now. Not happening. I won’t let her give up so easily either. Our lives may be in different places now, but one fact remains one-hundred-percent unchanged.
We love each other. Plain and simple.
And nothing or no one will steal the love we share from us. Never again.
* * *
I pull my phone from my pocket—again—and check the time. Ten thirty-five. Not only have I been awake and sitting by Cora’s back door for over two hours, I have been at her house for close to twelve hours. And she hasn’t.
Luna is probably freaking out inside looking for her Mom and her breakfast.
Slowly but surely, I start to freak out a bit too. By now, I thought she would be home. The fact that she isn’t, has me worrying more—about where she is and why she hasn’t come home. Elbows resting on my knees, I drop my head in my hands and groan. Please let her be okay. Not in some hospital getting treated for injuries because she couldn’t focus enough to drive.
But another thought crosses my mind. A thought that boils my blood and chills me to the bone simultaneously.
Who is she with? After our argument last night, would she go running into another man’s arms? And not just any man, but a man she trusts. A man she is comfortable with and confides in. Jonas.
Would she go to him to be consoled? Would she use her friendship with him to punish me? God, I hope not. The Cora I know doesn’t seem the type to do such petty or callous things. But the Cora I know isn’t the Cora that exists today. And that scrap of knowledge stings more than anything.
Even if Cora refuses to see it, it is more than obvious Jonas likes her. Hell, any man who looks at a woman the way he looks at Cora doesn’t just want to be friends. He may even love her.
At the thought, my skin prickles. He could be soothing her right now. Wiping her tears away. Holding her in his arms. Shushing her cries over another man. A man who claims to love her, but supposedly has a fiancée. A fake fiancée.
And suddenly it feels as if I just handed over the love of my life to another man. “What the fuck was I thinking?”
I wasn’t thinking. That much is now obvious. My reaction to a friend’s unfortunate situation was simple. Or so I thought at the time. My friend needed help and I offered up my solution. To make people believe we were engaged. An easy, straightforward way to improve her life. No big deal, right?
Wrong. Evidently.
But it isn’t real. And Layla damn well knows nothing about our engagement is tangible. There will never be a wedding or vows or permanency. No flowers or additional jewelry or change of name.
So why the show? Why the hell did she act like a catty bitch last night? I saw the wicked gleam in her eye, the vicious curl of her lip. Why did she intentionally try to hurt the one person who matters most to me? I don’t get it. Don’t understand her motive. What does Layla stand to gain by ruining what Cora and I have? If Layla really was my friend, if she really cared about me as a person, she would have cheered me on. Not shattered my dreams.
