Page 121 of The Perfect Love

I need to get myself together.

My eyes roll over the mess in front of me again.

I need to find the picture.

“Trevor?”

I jump and spin, only to find Chelsea standing there, wide-eyed.

She sets whatever she’s holding down and walks toward me.

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I thought you might be sleeping. I wanted to see if you were okay.”

I look down at all the photos, unsure how to answer that.

Part of me says I’m fine. Because I have to be. I have people to take care of.

But the array of photos and the absolute need to find the one I can’t says I’m not fine at all. The weight sitting in my chest and making it hard to breathe says I’m far from okay.

Chelsea delicately steps around photos before sitting down next to me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice is soft and even. There’s no judgment, only concern.

I grab a handful of my curls and tug them through my fingers in frustration. Or resignation. I’m not sure.

“I didn’t think I’d struggle this much.”

“I’m still here to support you.”

I let out a breath and say the truth. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

She loops her arm around mine and rests her head on my shoulder. “Lucky for you, the girls told me anyway. You don’t need to hide your hurt from me. I’m here for you, and I want to see every version of you. Even the hurting ones. The broken ones.” She gestures to all the pictures. “What’s going on here?”

“I’m looking for a picture, but I can’t find it.”

She rubs her hand over my back in soft, soothing circles. “What’s the picture of?”

“Me with my family on my ninth birthday—the one I told you about.”

“And why do you need to find it?”

“I don’t know.” My voice catches. “I just need to see it. Maybe my skin will stop crawling if I do.”

“Okay. I’m assuming you’ve been through all of these multiple times.”

I nod.

“Do you have any other pictures here?”

I shake my head.

“Come here.” She wraps an arm around my back, guiding me off the floor, but all I can do is look back at the pictures. “Trust me?” she whispers.

My eyes lift to hers, and all I see are those intoxicating eyes full of vulnerability and something else I’ve known for a while and have been afraid to say.

With a heavy inhale, I stand up. After all the trust she’s given me, I can at least give her enough to get off this damn floor.

She leads me over to the bed and pulls me onto the mattress with her. I lie flat on my back and she wraps her body around mine, like a weighted blanket. Her head rests on my shoulder, and she lets me settle for a moment before speaking again.

---