Page 79 of Give Me Love

“And who are you really, Bryce?” I swallow, waiting for him to tell me.

He exhales wistfully, looking past me as his icy eyes narrow, and just like the sun shined upon them itself, they melt before me, exposing the truth he’s been hiding.

“A lost soul,” he murmurs.

I look away from damaged and troubled. Something feels different between us at this moment. It’s like there’s no barrier. No gigantic glass wall we’re hiding behind to keep the other out. It frightens me, but also thrills me that he is sharing all of this. I just hope he doesn’t expect me to start rambling about my own baggage.

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Bryce

I scrub the side of my face as I realize what all I’ve just said. I don’t talk to anyone about my mom except for Lou. So why the fuck did I just tell Kathrine everything? Why the hell am I even here with her? I’m getting too close. This is too much. Panic starts to spread, and I sit up. I need to get away from her. I need some space. She doesn’t need to know all of this shit.I’m a lost soul?What the fuck was that? She’s clouding my mind. Where the hell did Bryce go and who is this guy? A fucking pussy bitch who talks about his problems?

“I should get home,” I say, standing up.

“Oh,” she says, seeming to be thrown off. She gets up, too, and I reach down and grab the blanket.

Moments later, we’re in the car and heading back to her place. My mind is racing, and a sick feeling is in my chest. I need a distraction. Is my brother right? Am I really falling for this chick?

I pull up to her apartment and wait for her to get out, but she doesn’t right away. I can’t look at her.

“Bryce, I appreciate you sharing all of that with me.”

I rub the back of my neck and clear my throat. “Yeah. I’ll… umm… we’ll talk later.”

“You okay?” she asks. I brave looking over at the girl who’s causing me to freak the fuck out. Silver-toned eyes look worried and she has a wrinkle between her brows.Don’t be worried about me. I don’t need that from you.

“Fine.” I nod.

“Ookay… well, see you later.” She climbs out and I shake my head, inhaling as I do. She’s suffocating. My hands are shaking, and my mind is on overdrive. I hit the gas and head home, thinking back on the day I walked in on her and her boyfriend at the shop.

Ex-boyfriend. Whatever. Who fucking cares?

What? Was I going to beat his ass for hurting her? Really? Why do I give a shit? I swallow, reach up, and loosen my tie even more. This is getting out of hand. I know what this can do to a person.

I’ve seen how this ends.

Love doesn’t conquer all. It destroys, leaving people behind to pick up the pieces.

Is this love?

No.

Hell no.

This is some serious lust. I want this girl, no doubt, but I don’t love her. I won’t love her. She won’t get that from me.

ChapterFifteen

Kathrine

Water slides over my body, relaxing my muscles, but doing nothing to calm my mind. I’m happy Bryce opened up to me about his mom, but I could see the freak out he was having. I get it. This is scary for me, too.

Tomorrow’s my birthday, and I wanted to tell him that Claire, Austin, and I have plans to do dinner and go out after, but since his mood was more than sour on the way home, I just didn’t want to bring it up. I’m not sure why I haven’t already told him. Birthdays have never been big for me.

I didn’t grow up in a house that celebrated my birthday. There were no balloons, no cake, and there damn sure weren’t any gifts. At least not at home. I did have a few customers at the restaurant I worked at who somehow found out about my birthday. One man in particular would always bring me a cupcake and give me fifty bucks. I tried not to think too much of it, but I can’t say it didn’t affect me. It was nice that someone cared even if it was a stranger.

I shut the water off and grab my towel. I need to get some sleep if I’m going to work tomorrow and go out. I hope Bryce is okay. I’m still not sure how his relationship is with his mom, but obviously, he does have one and she is in his life, which is more than I can say about my own.

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