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“I never meant to hurt you.”
“You didn’t. I’m fine.” A scuff on the floor makes for a helpful distraction while I focus on keeping myself together.
“No, you’re not. Look at us, Freya. You’re in the hospital because of me. I should have listened to you. You told me this would cost me more than my things, and you were absolutely right. It almost cost me you. You were right about everything.”
Fucking duh.
“The police called, they found some of my things, and had footage from the person trying to pawn it. It was Anna. Some other guy was there too, but she staged the burglary. I gave her the choice between a treatment program or getting arrested and facing jail time. I don’t know what tonight was, some desperate attempt at a final high. I think she felt trapped.” He clears his throat. “I just said goodbye. She has a chaperone that is going to meet her here and escort her to a treatment center in Big Sur. I told her I was done yesterday, I just didn’t realize she would have gone to such extremes once she found out she was unable to manipulate me anymore.”
Holy shit.Even if he’s about to tell me to pound sand, I’m so fucking proud of him. This is the hardest step; it takes so much bravery to stand up to the ones you love. I don’t know what to say.
“As soon as I said that stuff to you about the money, I wanted to take it back. It was an attempt to push you away, I was spiraling and didn’t want to suck you into my vortex. You deserved someone who could give you what you needed and at the time I had no idea how to become that for you. I didn’t mean any of it. I was hurting, but I never should have taken it out on you, that was fucked up. I fucked up. Please don’t go back to hating me again.”
“I wanted to talk to you when you got home from Colorado. I went to your apartment, but Anna said you were home but didn’t want to see me. There was some girl there, Anastasia.”
He scrubs his hands down his face. “I didn’t get home until almost midnight, I had to go straight from the airport to another meeting. I wasn’t home. I have no clue who that girl is, someone Anna was hanging out with. The only times I’ve ever spoken to her were when I kicked her out.”
“How come you weren’t returning my text messages?”
“I tried, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to be like Kyle and make promises I couldn’t keep. So in between hockey games and all the police shit, I had some other things I needed to take care of.”
It’s hard to look at him, I peer down at my lap. Reaching into my view, he covers my hand with his and massages my palm.
I want to wrap my arms around him and support him, reassure him that he’s doing the right thing by Anna, but I’m still mad. And hurt. “You did a really hard thing today. I’m happy she’s getting help.”
He nods. “Me too.”
“I thought you were breaking up with me.”
He hunches over with his elbows on his knees. The thinly padded seat next to the hospital bed squeaks. “I let you jump to that conclusion, and I shouldn’t have.”
When I glance over, he’s looking up at me through his lashes, and my stomach flutters.
“Can you forgive me?”
With every part of me.“I forgive you.”
His shoulders relax, and he drops his head in relief before returning his gaze. I avert my eyes, attempting to keep the loose emotions in check, and frantically trying to peel off all the armor I put up at the beginning of our conversation.
“Darling, I was always coming back for you. I should have said it that night.”
“Do you love me?” I need to hear him say it.
“I love you. I ammadlyin love with you,” he says.
Those words instantly mend every crack of my jaded heart.
“I love you too.” I laugh and sniffle again. So much for not crying. I didn’t anticipate the tears being happy ones.
He shoots to his feet and slides his hands into my hair, locking his lips on mine, and it takes all the air out of my lungs. His kiss makes me complete again. In my fists, I grip the too-small sweatshirt on his chest. My pulse quickens and everything else floats away.
“Leave with me,” he says against my mouth.
“Of course I’m leaving with you.” His lips curl into a smile. “I don’t have a car.”
He delivers a small smack on my ass. When our kiss slows, he pulls back and looks at me with serious eyes.
“Do you mind if we get a hotel room? I’m not ready to go back there yet.”
