Page 23 of Apex of the Curve

“I’m really sorry,” she whispered brokenly, and it was a strange sort of intimacy created by the dark in her house. The only light on in here appeared to be emanating from somewhere in the kitchen, the rest of the house plunged into a dim, close dark that cradled us both in the palm of its hand.

“Stop apologizing, babe. You have nothing to apologize for. Everybody goes through it. I’m just glad you called me so you don’t have to go through it alone.”

She sniffled and laid her head on my shoulder, the leather of my jacket and cut creaking in the dark. I was warm in here, bordering on too warm, but I didn’t want to move her. Didn’t want her to think anything negative about herself or this interaction when I could already tell that was where her head was at. She was apologizing for every damn thing and I was expecting any second that she would apologize for simply existing. I wanted to know where she got these ideas from and put a hurt on the motherfucker that’d given them to her.

I seethed and simmered in my chest beneath her head, but I don’t think she knew. I aimed to keep it that way. She didn’t need any more stress.

“Thank you for coming,” she murmured and swallowed hard. I couldn’t see her face but I could imagine fresh tears tracking down her ivory cheeks just the same.

“Anytime, and I mean that,” I said, giving her a light squeeze. “You want to talk about it?”

“No,” she whispered. “You’ve already put up with so much I—”

“I’m not ‘putting up’ with anything, Aspen. I’m not that kind of guy. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”

She sucked in a breath and held it for a moment before saying, “I apologize, I didn’t mean to offend.”

“You didn’t. It’s late. I promise no funny business, but let’s get your face washed and get you into something that’s more comfortable than these work clothes. I’m staying here tonight. What you said? It’s got me worried.”

She held still, contemplating my words for a moment before finally nodding.

“I’m worried too,” she said. “And I don’t want to be alone.”

Jesus, fuck. She sounded so vulnerable.

“You’re not alone. You’re not going to be alone. I’m right here for whatever you need.”

“You’re too kind, you know that?” she asked.

I barked a laugh and bit down on it when she jumped at the abrupt sound.

“Sorry, just never been accused of that, you know what I’m sayin’?”

“What? Of being kind?” she asked, pushing off of my chest and sitting up on her own.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a shame,” she said, and I could barely make out the glitter of those fantastic green eyes in the dark, back lit as she was by the dim light in the kitchen behind her.

“It just is what it is,” I said with a gusty sigh.

“I think I’m all cried out,” she said, and I nodded.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

She thought about it for a minute and sighed saying to me, “Uncomfortably numb.”

“Yeah, time for bed for you,” I said. “Things ’ll look better in the morning.”

She got up, and I followed her to my feet, shrugging out of my jacket and cut and laying them over the arm of her couch.

“Um, you really don’t have to stay,” she said. “I mean, if you don’t want to.”

“I want to,” I said evenly. “And I’m not going anywhere tonight after what you said when I came in here.”

She hung her head, hugged herself, and said, “I don’t think I meant it. Not really.”

I sighed and felt my shoulders drop and I shook my head.

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