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“My disease.” I looked away as tears burned behind my eyes, adding in a whisper. “My life.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, that makes two of us.” I tugged at my arm, needing him to let go, to let me tell Marc. He still believed I was going to die. My screaming it at him was still fresh in my mind. His reaction too. The shock on his face. The pain. His raw honesty in the car tearing through my heart.
I can’t lose you too.
I stopped struggling, relaxing in Johnny’s firm grip. “What happened to him?” I asked. “Johnny please!”
He shook his head, scoffing. “If he didn’t tell you…”
He didn’t need to say the rest. If he didn’t tell me, he didn’t want me to know. And Johnny wasn’t going to betray his trust. Still, I found myself asking. “He lost someone he loves, didn’t he? Julie?”
Johnny’s silence said it all. He didn’t confirm it. But he didn’t deny it either.
“Let me go!” I pulled my arm free, gripping the handle but paused before I opened the door. “Does he…” How could I ask it without sounding like a schoolgirl? Johnny already looked at me like I was some love-struck teenager, I didn’t want to make it worse.
“Does helikeyou? Love you?” He took the words from my mouth, and I cringed from his bluntness.
“I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you, not since—” he cut himself off, and I swallowed down the sudden emotion climbing up my throat.
Not sinceJulie. He knew more than he said. And I was right.
“Are you serious about him?” Johnny asked, and before I could even begin to form a reply, he added. “If you are, then I won’t stand in the way, but if not…”
I gulped following his gaze to somewhere in the distance. The message was clear. If not, thenfuck offas he would put it.
I lifted my gaze to his, giving him a small nod. Iwasserious. I never wanted anyone the way I wanted Marc. Hell, I stood face to face with a world-famous movie star, who was more than handsome, but in my eyes, he didn’t measure up to Marc. It no longer mattered that he was older than me, that he was so out of my league that I could never have imagined someone like him even looking at me twice. I just knew I wanted him. Not only for his hot body and gorgeous face, but for everything he was. His stubborn bravery. His protectiveness. His brutal honesty. His loyalty to his friend, and most of all, his beautiful bruised, possibly broken, heart. I thought I lost him once, I never wanted to feel like that again.
I shot Johnny a look, then opened the door and stepped inside. Marc’s eyes met mine from where he was sitting on the bed, and something in his expression softened. I smiled, slowly making my way up to him.
His eyes narrowed at Johnny coming up behind me, and the unspoken words made me wince inwardly. No doubt did he wonder what I was still doing here. Did he ask Johnny to send me away?
I tried to ignore the sudden uncertainty that weakened my resolve. What if he truly didn’t want me? Whether I was sick or not… Maybe he just didn’t want me.Period.
“Kaylie.” His voice was raw, tinged with surprise, but also regret. I cringed, suddenly shy under his harsh gray eyes.
“I can’t do this,” he gritted out. “I can’t stand looking at you and knowing—” he cut himself off, cursing under his breath.
“I’m not sick!” I blurted, taking a step toward him.
“Don’t do this to me,” he growled. “For God’s sake just—”
“I’m not sick!” I repeated, this time with more volume. “I’m not dying, it was a lie. Everything was a lie. My father lied! Helied—” my voice broke into a sob. Gasping for breaths, I forced myself to go on, choking on my voice but pushing through. He needed to know. He needed to feel me here. With him. “The medicine made me sick. He wanted me to think I was dying to control me. I’m not sick Marc, I’m not going anywhere.”
He stared at me when I finally fell silent. The same shocked expression on his face as when I told him the exact opposite. “I didn’t know,” I whispered. “Everything was a lie. I’m sorry.”
He tore his gaze off me, letting out a ragged breath that twisted my heart further. When he finally looked back at me, his face was unreadable.
“Don’t shut me out.” I closed the gap between us, grabbing his face and tilted it up to face me. To force him to see me. “I’m not going to die.” I repeated. “You won’t lose me.”
He let out a harsh breath, tearing himself free from my grip. “You can’t promise that,” he hissed. “You can’t fucking promise me that.”
My eyes darted to Johnny, who stood staring back at us with an awkward look on his face. He swallowed visibly as he met my gaze, then nodded, encouraging me not to give up.
“One day at the time,” I whispered, stroking his hair. “Let me stay with you.”
Marc slowly turned to face me, and my hand came to rest on his cheek. I gave him a small smile. “I don’t want to be anywhere else than right here.” I spoke so low I worried he wouldn’t hear me, but the way his jaw tightened, told me he heard me loud and clear.
