Page 142 of Wreckage

“I made the dressing,” he said bashfully. “My first time. It might be bad. Sorry ahead of time.”

I took a bite, letting the flavor burst against my tongue. It definitely wasn’t bad, and I said as much.

“I like it. It’s delicious.”

He gave me a relieved smile and dug into his food.

We made small talk, and for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel forced.

It felt easy.

Like breathing. Like home.

“I have this one professor. Huge pain in the ass. I swear the guy lives and breathes to do pop quizzes.”

“I’m sure you do fine,” I said, smiling at him. “You’ve always been smart.”

He shrugged and gave me a tiny smile. “Doesn’t make me hate the guy any less.”

I laughed as he continued to tell me about his classes and the books he’d been reading, and then—He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I, uh…” He looked down at his plate. “I started writing a book.”

I widened my eyes at the news, genuinely excited for him.

“Adrian, that’s amazing!” I grinned. “I can’t wait to read it. What’s it about?”

His cheeks flushed, and he waved a hand. “It’s nothing?—”

“What’s it about? Come on. Tell me.”

His smile faded slightly, his fingers tightening around his fork.

“It’s about a guy who fell in love with a girl,” he said slowly. “And lost her… because he did something stupid.”

I stopped eating. My heart clenched.

“He spends the rest of his life trying to make it up to her,” Adrian continued, his voice rough. “But she keeps running.” He swallowed, his jaw tight. “And in the end… he dies alone.”

My throat tightened as I breathed out softly.

Adrian looked away. “But when he wakes up in the next life… she’s the one who saves him after an accident. It’s a second chance, a story of reincarnation. I want to think real events inspired it.”

I felt the first tear slip down my cheek.

I pushed my chair back and moved toward him, sinking to my knees beside his seat.

He turned, his green eyes locking onto mine.

“I’m sorry, Elena,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “For hurting you. For lying about Dean. For what I did to you the last night we were together.” His hands balled into fists, his breathing uneven.

“I’m not that guy. I swear I’m not,” he choked out, “But I was desperate. I was scared I was losing you. I was on borrowed time, and all I wanted was to keep you forever. I fucked up. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

He reached for me, cradling my face like I was something precious.

“If you only came back to be my sister, I’ll accept that,” he murmured. “But, fuck, baby… please tell me it’s more than that.”He sucked in a sharp breath. “Because I love you. So much. I’ve been waiting for you since the day they rescued us. Hell, I think I’ve been waiting my entire life for you, and I’m willing to wait for another lifetime if it means I’ll get you in the end.”

---