Page 57 of Beyond The Break

I reach out and take her hand in mine, offering some comfort as she silently cries on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion, “please don’t blame yourself. No one forced that truck driver to get on the road when he was drunk. You couldn’t have known.”

“If I hadn’t had been at that party in the first place, I would still have them here with me,” she whispers, “and I wouldn’t have this ugly scar haunting me for the rest of my life.”

She motions to the spot where her scar sits. I frown, grabbing a hold of her chin and turning her face to look at me.

“Your scar is not ugly,” I say firmly, “It’s part of what makes you so beautiful and unique.”

She scoffs before pulling her chin out of my grip and laying her head on my lap instead. As we sit there for another twenty minutes silently listening to the ocean waves, I play with her hair until she falls asleep.

I make a promise to myself that I'll show her just how beautiful her scar is. She’s full of so much guilt, sadness, and self-loathing, yet you would never be able to tell by looking at her. This is a part of Eliana that she keeps private, and I’m honoured she felt comfortable enough to tell me.

Another ten minutes pass and as much as I want to let her sleep, we’ll likely freeze to death if we stay up here muchlonger. I gently rock her awake, smiling at the line imprints on her face from my clothing.

“It’s time to go home, sunshine.”

I help her up and we slowly walk down the staircase back to my jeep. I help her into the passenger’s side and buckle her in as she falls back asleep. On the drive home, I drive slower than I ever have, not a single digit higher than the speed limit, until we reach the house.

SEVENTEEN

ELIANA

“Surprise!”

I turn to see Maliah and Kairi standing at my door with hands full of snacks and face masks. It’s Thursday night, the night before the beach bonfire, and the boys are out buying the alcohol. Except for Koa, who’s locked himself in his room claiming to have a migraine. Though, I think he just didn't want to leave us all alone.

“Let’s have a girls’ night,” Maliah says, shaking the face masks, “you’ve been working all day, and we think you deserve a break. Meet us downstairs after you finish up. We’ll be waiting!”

“Okay,” I say with a smile and nod, closing my laptop, “sounds like fun.”

They both race down the stairs as I grab my favorite pajama set with mini cotton candy designs sprinkled all over it, and head to the bathroom for a quick shower.

My thoughts wander to Griffin as the water beats down on my back. We’ve barely spoken for the last week, mostly due to Gabriel’s new and improved,or so he says, training schedule that has the team training around the clock in the ocean, on thebeach, or at the gym. And during their free time, I’m holed up in my bedroom putting together clips and pictures for Griffin’s mini-series.

You’ve also been intentionally avoiding him.

It’s true, I have. When I woke up the morning after the lighthouse, I regretted telling Griffin about what happened with my parents. As good of a job as Gabriel did removing those articles from the internet, there are still other ways to find them. Now that Griffin knows about the accident, there’s nothing stopping him from digging into it and I’m terrified that he’ll find out my reputation as The Bad Luck Charm and use it to get rid of me.

I really want to trust Griffin, especially because my feelings are growing deeper for him, but I've been hurt so much in my past I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully trust anyone.

Gabriel has already left for the airport and won’t be back until Monday. With tomorrow being the bonfire and there being no practice over the weekend, I know I won’t be able to hide any longer after today.

Letting out an anxious sigh, I shut off the water and wrap my towel around my body. After drying off and changing into my pajamas, I tie my hair into a ponytail and make my way downstairs.

Before Gabriel left, he set some strict rules.

No parties!

No touching the alcohol in the meeting room mini fridge.

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