Page 53 of Endgame

This must be the comedown.

“Dakota, sweetheart, I grabbed a shirt and some panties for you if you want to go into the bathroom and change.” Her eyes look void of feeling. Such a drastic difference from a couple of minutes ago. The joking and laughter have diminished, only to be replaced with cold silence.

She makes no effort to respond, except a soft shake of her head, before grabbing the clothes and walking to the bathroom.

The sound of the bathroom door softly closing causes my heart to sink. I’m not sure what happened there, but it was like all the light inside of her managed to drain out completely.

It’s still unclear to me why she was at the bar to begin with, leading to her soon-discovered drunkenness. I know now is not the time to ask. I’ll do my best to care for her however I can and make sure she gets to sleep safely.

But first, I need to find some pain meds. A massive headache is in her near future, and I’d rather have them ready for her.

Pain meds secured, Dakota is already snuggled in her bed with her body curled to the side as she hugs a pillow.

She looks so tranquil.

It makes me want to crawl under with her and hold her until morning.

She’s stunning. In all the ways I’ve seen her, she’s been nothing but enchanting. I’m finding it takes very little effort for her to charm me; her silliness and quirkiness tonight only solidified what I already knew—she’s worth the wait.

I walk myself to her side of the bed and reach my hand out gently to caress the side of her face. I slide the wet strands of her hair to tuck behind her ear, watching intently as her eyes close steadily.

“Angel, can you sit up for a second? I’ve got some medicine for you. I don’t want you to wake up in pain and me not here to help.”

She murmurs slightly, her sleep grogginess overcoming her ability to respond. “Fifty-two.”

Fifty-two? I don’t understand. “What’s that?” I lean my head closer to hers, hoping to hear her better.

“He’s fifty-two.”Who?

“Who’s fifty-two, Dakota?” I can already tell this is going to hurt.

“My dad. Today’s his birthday.” God almighty, I hate this. I hate that I’m useless to help her. No one deserves to feel this alone.

I knew there was more to why she felt so broken inside. Although I don’t know the gist of it, I can guess it’s unfortunate.

I’m still not sure why that would lead her to get drunk alone.

“Okay, baby. You can call him in the morning and tell him happy birthday.”

It sounds like she’s trying to respond, but exhaustion seems to overcome her before sleep claims her. My eyes close in on her sleeping form and reflect on all the reasons this womandeservesto be loved.

She’s incredible—if only she believed that.

I understand why she’s closed off her heart to being in a relationship. There’s a pain that can’t be healed from words alone—action of the heart is the only thing that can break down those walls.

It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.

24

CALLAWAY

After leavingDakota’s sleeping form and locking up behind me last night, I went home to find Bodhi passed out on the couch. I have yet to find out what the rest of his night looked like, but asking around and researching the best psychologist for him is at the top of my to-do list today.

My internal clock has missed the message that this week calls for sleeping in and laziness. It wakes me up at seven to a silent house, which most likely means the guys are still sleeping.

I can’t even remember the last time I laid in bed all morning with no plans, games, or anyone needing anything from me; it’s refreshing.

My thoughts drift to last night with Dakota.

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