Page 125 of That's Too Pucking Bad

He stares straight ahead, his jaw clenched. “I hate the fucking parties, Remy.”

“Then don’t go to them,” I snap, angry again. “You don’t have to keep hurting yourself just to... just to be a fucking hero.”

“I’m not a hero,” he mutters, voice cracking. “Just a guy who doesn’t know what else to do. I don’t have a choice.”

I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to help him when he won’t even let me in.

I mutter, “I know it doesn’t feel like you do, but I promise you that you do have a choice.”

The drive to my place is quiet, too quiet, until we’re finally at the gate. I don’t say anything as I let us in. I just want him to be okay.

And if he’s not, if he can’t be, then I don’t know what I’m going to do.

But I can’t leave him like this.

When we get inside, he collapses onto the couch, looking like he might just fall asleep right there. I stand there, frozen for a second, watching him.

“What now?” he asks, voice rough, almost pleading.

I sit next to him, my eyes still searching for something—some hint that this isn’t all just a fucked-up game to him. That this is real. That he wants me the way I want him.

“Now?” I whisper. “Now, you rest.”

He doesn’t argue this time. He doesn’t have the energy to.

I take his hand. And I don’t let go.

Chapter 27

I wake up to the soft light peeking through the curtains. The clock by the bed reads 5 a.m., but I don’t need it to tell me that it’s still too early. My body’s sore— aching in places I didn’t know could ache— but I feel... oddly at peace. Remy’s next to me, tangled in the blankets, her soft breathing the only sound in the room. I don’t want to move. Don’t want to let go of this moment.

Her eyes flutter open when I shift, and she looks at me with that sleepy, soft expression.

“Hey,” she whispers, voice husky from sleep. She gives me a kiss on the cheek, and my heart fucking stutters.

“Hey,” I mutter back, rubbing my eyes, trying to shake off the fog.

She kisses my forehead next, soft lips against my skin, and I want to stay like this forever. Just the two of us.

“Zane?” she whispers.

“Yeah?” I murmur, still half asleep.

“I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I think... I think you’re going to make it big. You’re going to own the best damn auto shop in town.” She pulls away just enough to look up at me. There’s that fire in her eyes— the one that’s always been there. I can see how much she means it.

I chuckle softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You really think so?”

She nods, her eyes soft but determined. “I know so. You’ve got this. You just need to... keep going. And we’ll figure everything out. Together.” She places a gentle kiss on my forehead, then sighs, looking away.

“I need to rush home, but I’ll come back. We’ll figure it out, okay?” She’s already pushing the covers off and sitting up, her messy hair falling over her shoulders, looking too beautiful to be real.

I nod, even though I don’t want her to go. “Okay.”

But she’s already standing, pulling on her clothes from last night, quick but careful, like she doesn’t want to disturb the moment either. It hits me again, how much she means to me, how different everything is when she’s around.

“I’ll be back. I promise,” she says, giving me one last kiss, this time on the lips, quick but lingering enough to leave me breathless.

She leaves, and I’m alone.

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