Page 15 of Fracture

“Read a book. Go to Reddit. Fuck, I don’t know,talkto somebody. Therapy is great, and after spending your 20s in prison, you probably need it.”

He lunges at me, seizing my face in his huge, tattooed hands, his body flush with mine. “Listen to me. I’ll do anything I need to do to win you back.”

“I’m not a prize, Dylan.”

“Yes, you are.” He lowers his face to mine to nudge my nose with his, a small, sweet gesture that chips away at my anger, just a little. “No more words. I promise. But you got to tell me that I have a chance here.”

His eyes gaze intently into mine. I want to tell him that I don’t have to do anything. That I don’t owe him anything. But with his warm hands against my face, and those dark eyes filled with hope, I don’t have the heart to be a bitch and tell him no. Because I want him to have that chance. I want to give myself that chance. Which makes me a fool. I’ll just get hurt again.

But the memories of how much I loved him are too strong.

“You have a chance. But I won’t promise you more than that.”

His face breaks into a devastating smile, and suddenly he’s that 19 year old boy again, full of hope and joy whenever his eyes landed on me. He leans his forehead against mine, and laughs softly.

“I’m going to make you so happy, Stella.”

I swallow down my bitterness, the words threatening to spill out.No you won’t. I’m broken. I’ll hurt you. I’ll make youmiserable. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know who I want.I clamp my eyes shut and push all my sick thoughts away.

Dylan can’t know that about me. It’ll disgust him. It disgusts me. Instead I just smile and nod, pulling on the mask I wear so well.

“I hope so,” is all I say. And some small part of me, foolishly, does.

Dylan won’t tell me where he’s going when he leaves, but I guess he’s headed to his grandfather’s. I feel a pang as I watch him pull out of the drive on his bike, the engine roaring down the tree-lined street. His grandfather was always mean-spirited. He hated Dylan’s mother, and by extension was horrid to Dylan after his parents died.

That time is bound with so much sadness but also love. That was when Dylan and Levi became close, and he spent so much time at our house. He was always there, lighting up every room he walked into. And, in time, Dylan and I became close, too.

With a sigh, I walk down the hallway and up the stairs. It’s a beautiful day, and I consider going swimming. I pull my phone from my pocket, ready to text my cousin Lily and see if she’s free, when I walk past Levi’s open door.

I cast a glance into the dim room, light spilling across the bed from between a crack in the curtains. Straight over Levi’s naked body sprawled out on the bed. He’s lying on his back, one arm tucked behind his head. He’s snoring lightly, obviously fast asleep. Thank god, because here I am staring at him while he’s butt ass naked.

His body is beautiful, sleek muscles adorned with tattoos. I swallow, clutching my phone hard enough to crack the screenas my eyes land on his dick. It’s difficult to make out a lot of detail in the half-light, but his girth and size are more than obvious. The throb I feel between my thighs at the sight is deeply unpleasant.

At that moment, my phone begins to ring.

Levi’s head shoots up to look straight at me in the doorway, and I shriek out aSorry!Before racing to my room and slamming the door behind me. I clutch my still-ringing phone to my chest, and try to compose myself. My step-brother just caught me staring at him naked. I clench my eyes shut. Oh my god, I’m disgusting. He’s going to be packing his bags when I get back out of this room.

If I ever get up the nerve to leave this room again, that is.

The phone stops ringing and almost instantly starts again, and I look down to see Lilly’s name flash up on the screen. I swipe my thumb across the screen and lift the phone to my ear.

“H-Hey!” I clear my throat when my voice squeaks. “I was just about to call you.”

“Haha, twinsies!” She laughs. “I was just calling to see if you wanted to go for lunch?”

“Yes, yes, I would love that.” I answer way too fast, but I need to get out of this house and as far away from Levi as possible. “Where are we going?”

“I was thinking DeLuca’s, Ineeda cobb salad. Like, I medically require one.”

I laugh awkwardly, shifting on my feet as I hear movement out in the hallway. A few seconds later the shower turns on. I breathe a sigh of relief. The perfect time to escape.

“That sounds great!” I shuffle off my pajama shorts and grab a sun dress from the closet. “I have a few errands to run downtown and then I’ll meet you.”

“Perfect! See you at 12!” Lily makes a loud kissing noise like she always does at the end of our talks and hangs up.

I throw my phone on the bed to peel off my shirt and pull the sundress on over my head. I decide to avoid putting on makeup because that might cost me time and I need to avoid seeing Levi. I don’t know how I’ll ever face him again.

With burning cheeks I run a brush through my hair and hurry out of my room and down the stairs. The shower keeps running, thank god.

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