Page 10 of Nitro

Dylan had been the final mission assigned to me by Hicks.

My job had been to help Hicks retrieve Dylan for a buyer, a task that I felt guilty about to this day.

Thankfully, Whizz, Nitro, and Marc had managed to put an end to Hicks and his operation.

I still felt guilty about deceiving Dylan during those months.

“Tommy? Are you with me? Where did your mind drift to?” Nitro asked.

He reached for my fingers and the warmth of his touch brought me back to reality.

“Thinking of Dylan and the past,” I confessed.

Nitro said nothing and but I knew he was paying attention. He was surprisingly a good listener.

It was one of things I noticed about him.

"Dylan constantly assures me that he doesn't blame me for what happened,” I finally said.

I went on,“Hicks trained me to obey him, but it's still hard to believe that Dylan continued to be my friend after all that."

“You’ve been a good friend to Dylan as well,” Nitro pointed out but I really didn’t hear him.

"I'm an awful person, aren't I?" I whispered miserably.

I looked into Nitro's concerned eyes, struggling to understand why he was interested in someone as messed up as me.

"Hey," Nitro said gently, sliding his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.

Nitro continued, “Don't say that. You're not an awful person, Tommy. You did what you had to do to survive."

I couldn't help but feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

"Yeah, that's always been my excuse. I obeyed all of Hicks' orders because I didn't want him to hurt me, and as a result, I hurt so many people,” I muttered.

The memories of the past overwhelmed me at times, making it difficult to push them away.

In that moment, Nitro wrapped his strong arms around me, and I couldn't help but bury my face into his chest.

He felt warm and comforting, a lifeline in my storm of self-doubt and regret.

I couldn't help but think that I didn't deserve someone like him.

After all I had done, I couldn't fathom deserving anyone or the possibility of a happy ending.

Nitro ran his fingers through my hair, his touch gentle. I slowly lifted my head and quickly rubbed at my eyes.

I felt a twinge of embarrassment that Nitro had seen me crying.

"No more tears," I had told myself after the ordeal with Hicks had come to an end.

I didn't want Nitro to see me falling apart or to realize that I wasn't as put-together as I pretended to be. It was just a mask I wore so well.

I mustered a weak smile. “Thanks, Nitro," I whispered.

"No need to keep thanking me," Nitro said. "We'll figure this out together, Tommy."

The word "we" sounded nice to my ears.

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