Page 100 of Beyond The Break

“But it is, Eliana. It is that easy,” my legs shake from how weak I feel in the knees, “you could tell me anything and it wouldn’t change how I feel about you. You want to run away? Okay fine, but I’m coming with you. You don’t get to run away from me like what we have means nothing to you.”

I feel like I might lose her completely if I keep pushing, but I need her to know that no matter what she tells me it won’t change how I feel about her. I’m in this, good or bad, I’m not leaving her side.

“You mean everything to me,” she sobs.

“Then tell me.”

She shakes her head side to side, taking a step back to put some distance between us. “You’re going to tell me to leave once I do. You’re going to realize I’m the reason your leg is getting worse and you’re going to hate me for it. I can’t watch that happen, Griffin.”

I feel physically sick hearing her say that about herself, as if she believes the things they wrote about her in that article. My stomach churns as acid crawls up my throat. I want to hunt down Alex Young and everyone else in her hometown that had any part in making her feel like this.

“Nothing you say could make me hate you, sunshine,” I take a step toward her and run my fingers down her cheek, wiping away her tears, “because I love you.”

The words hang in the air, probably shocking me more than they shock her. I watch as uncertainty flickers in her eyes. I don’t blame her for being doubtful about my feelings considering I was trying to get rid of her weeks ago.

Her eyes widen. “You love me?”

I close the distance between us in two quick strides, not letting this moment slip away from me.

“I do. So, you can’t leave,” I brush away another one of her tears with my thumb, “not without me. So please, trust me enough to tell me. Trust that I love you enough not to run or push you away.”

She nods as more tears pour out her eyes. “Okay,” she inhales a shaky breath, “do you remember when we were in the lighthouse, and I told you about the accident?”

I nod, grabbing onto her hand and rubbing comfortingcircles on the back of it. I know what she’s going to say, Gabriel had filled me in on all the missing details, but I need her to tell me. I need her to trust me enough to confide in me, to come to me when things feel hard. To look at me as her safe space.

“When I was discharged from the hospital, I discovered that someone had spread rumors about me, claiming I was the reason my parents died.” She picks at the stitching in her jeans with her free hand. “Well, they were just rumors for a while but then someone wrote an article in my school newspaper blaming me for the school football team losing and my reputation as the bad luck charm became cemented.”

I want to pull her against me, to wrap her in my arms and tell her she doesn’t need to relive it anymore. It breaks my heart to watch her tremble in front of me, tears streaming down her face. But I force myself to keep quiet as I memorize the anguish on her face. I’ll never allow anyone to hurt her this badly again.

I’ll never let her carry this much pain again.

“Anyways, eventually the local paper got wind of my reputation and I got blamed for everything bad that happened in town. I got nicknamedThe Bad Luck Charmof our town.” Her voice cracks at the end as she looks up at me with sad eyes.

I smile down at her, kissing her forehead. “And you thought I would believe that? Rumors aren’t facts, Eliana. Since you’ve come into my life, I’ve only had good luck.”

Her brows pull together in confusion. “But your leg?—"

“Is my own fault,” I interrupt, “my doctors told me not to come back, but I still did. My injury getting worse was inevitable from the moment I decided to go against their orders. It had nothing to do with you. So please, don’t believe any of the bullshit they wrote about you.”

She sniffles. “Someone is threatening to expose me. It’ll ruin the team’s image and bring those rumors to Saltwater Springs—I don’t want that.”

I gently pull her to my chest, burying my hand in her brownhair and wrapping the other around her waist. She buries her face into my chest, her warm arms wrapping around my middle tightly.

“I dealt with that already. It was Meghan and someone named Alex Young.”

I feel her tense in my arms before she pulls out of my grip and frowns up at me. “Did you just say Alex Young?”

I nod. “Meghan claims he sold her the article about you.”

“I’m guessing she never actually met Alex Young in person,” she says, frowning up at me, “because Alex Young is a girl, and my ex-best friend.”

“Well, whether Alex is a he or a she, Gabriel’s people are currently hunting them down and tossing them in jail. We’re going to finally put an end to these articles.”

“Not to rush this happy reunion, but my car is going to get towed if we stay here any longer,” Gabriel shouts from his car.

A giggle bubbles out of her, the sound so beautiful my chest squeezes in happiness as I take her hand and lead her to the backseat of his car, climbing in with her.

He turns to look at us as we buckle our seat belts. “If you puke in my car, I’ll have you train just as hard as the rest of the surf team.” He narrows his eyes at Eliana, passing her a bottle of water.

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