Page 109 of Whispers of Obsession

“Girlfriend?” Cora asks, her brows going up in surprise.

“If you’ll still have me.”

“You almost died because of me!” she cries. “You shouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

I slow down, trying to make sense of her words. I’ve never been one to shy away from an argument, but this one hits a little too close to home. I swallow, my throat burning from the force of my last words.

“Cora,” I start, trying to make my tone gentle. “I...need you. I need you more than I ever thought possible, and if that meanstaking the risk of almost dying to keep you, then it’s a risk I’ll take every time.”

Her eyes soften, and for a moment, I see the girl I fell in love with back when we were barely fucking teens. The girl who made me feel alive. The girl who pieced me back together when I thought my life was broken beyond repair.

I pull her closer, our foreheads touching as we stare into each other’s eyes.

She finally responds with a tearful smile, “I need you too, Slater. I didn’t know how scared I was until I saw you lying there, unconscious and wounded. I thought I was going to lose you forever. I thought I already had.”

I pull her into a loving embrace, my hands gently cupping her face. “We made it through this, Cora. We have to keep moving forward, even if it’s going to be a rough road. We need to come clean to your mom about us, and about Heather. The authorities are going to investigate my father’s death. I won’t let your mum take the blame for that. We have to talk, though. There’s a lot we need to clear up, a lot of truths that need to be said, especially about the mask?—”

Cora nods, her eyes reflecting the sadness and relief we both feel.

“Not now. Not here, please, Slater. I just need to know you’re okay and we’re okay. Everything else can come later.”

“We’re okay. And so long as I have you by my side, Cora, I’m okay too. But I was wrong all those times I said you’re mine. I had it so, so wrong. You’re not mine, Cora, because I’ve always been yours.”

Cora melts into the embrace, burying her face in my shoulder and sobbing softly. I hold her close, feeling the weight of the world lifting from my shoulders. I know we have a lot to figure out and a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re safe and together. And that’s all that matters for now.

50

CORA

“Cora, it’s time.”

A surge of panic rushes through me at Slater’s words. Of course, he would accost me in the bath - some things never change. It doesn’t matter that for the last few weeks since he was released from the hospital he’s tried time and time again to talk about…the trigger for that night, I’ve managed to successfully avoid this conversation every single time.

But right now, relaxing in the bath with him, surrounded by candles and with a glass of wine in hand, there’s no avoiding it. No running to the store, or a call that I need to take from Lizzy, or an emergency with my mom that I need to take off for.

Basically, I realize as my heart sinks, there’s no getting out of it this time.

I sigh.

“Slater, don’t,” I half warn, half plead. “Why spoil a lovely evening?”

Damn it. I should have known he was buttering me up. He cooked us a lovely meal, hand fed me my favorite dessert -s’mores strawberries - and kept my wine glass topped up all evening. I should have guessed the romantic bubble bath was a ploy to get me vulnerable and trapped.

I pout. “I thought we were going to have sex.” Oops, maybe I’ve had a little too much to drink. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Slater chuckles and gives me a kind, patient smile. “I figured you couldn’t run like this.”

What is it with us and bathtubs? So many memories.

I shift uncomfortably and water sloshes over the rim and splashes onto the floor.

“I should clean that up,” I say, starting to push myself up, but Slater stops me, grabbing my wrist and shaking his head.

“Cora—”

“Slater. Everything’s been perfect. The last few weeks have been great. We don’t have to do this.”

“We do. If we’re going to have a real future together, we have to talk about stuff.”

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