Page 185 of Taeja

Taeja sighed, slightly amused by Damon’s attempt at puppy eyes. “You’re lucky I kinda like you.”

Damon scoffed. “Wow. You get angry at my brother, and I downgrade fromlovetokinda like you? Women.” As Taeja laughed, Damon smiled. He reached over and wiped the tears drying beneath her eyes. Holding her cheek, he said, “You’re too pretty to cry over a man.”

She chuckled, laying her hand on his and smiling. “But you’re a man.”

“I know, but it’s still true.”

She kissed him, and he cradled her face, kissing her back. Her heart raced in the way it always did whenever she was around him. It was more intense this time like her feelings were putting in overtime to rid the ache in her chest. After how Zain crushed then stomped on her heart earlier, she was thankful she still could feel.

Damon pulled back. “I’ll go get him. No fighting. I can’t control Zain, and I don’t want him to get arrested if things get ugly.”

Taeja nodded, watching as he left.

Even if Zain didn’t love her, Damon did. She’d just have to be okay with that. No matter how it wouldn’t feel right to be with one of them and not the next…

Hearing the door pull, she looked over, meeting the eyes of Zain. They looked cold, angry, sad — a wild mix of emotions that left a foul taste in her mouth. He entered the vehicle, shut the door, and stared ahead of himself. The space felt so small suddenly.

They sat in silence for minutes. As much as she hated the stifling tension, Taeja refused to speak first.

He hurt her. This was his mess to fix.

After a few more nerve-wracking seconds passed, Zain cleared his throat. “Taeja.”

She didn’t answer.

“I don’t love you,” Zain said, and pain sliced through her chest.

Taeja blinked away another onslaught of tears. “You didn’t have to say that again,” she said, her voice sounding weaker than she felt.

“That’s not what I meant to say,” Zain rushed out, then sighed. “What I mean to say is that I don’t love you because I’ve never loved anyone before, so I don’t know what love is. And you scare me, Taeja, because you make me feel… all these things, and I don’t know what they are.

“You know my good sides, and my bad sides, and you’ve never looked at me any differently. I’ve never had that from a woman before, and you fucking scare me. You’ve scared me since the first day I met you. And I think since then I’ve been addicted to you. You’re like a drug I can’t stay away from. Because of your voice. And your laughs. Your smile. And the way you always have an answer to everything I say. It all does something to me.

“I know how to kill, fix bikes, and I make a mean chicken taco, but you want love, and I… don’t know how to do that, but I want to love you. I’d rip my heart out and give it to you. Maybe you could better understand these things it feels becausefuck. Everything you make me feel is nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and I’ve been through a lot.

“I know my words probably won’t mean much because I hurt you, and now I can’t even look at you. And all of this probably won’t make sense to you either, but I need to get these words out because you’re the only one who ever makes me talk this much. So, if you still want me, I’m yours. I’ve been yours. And I want to learn how to love you.”

31

He inhaled a quietbreath after his last word, waiting with bated breath for Taeja to say something. Anything.

Fuck. Did he really say all that? He probably sounded stupid. He should’ve thought before speaking, but that was hard to do after Damon punched him in the face and dragged him here to apologize.

His heart quickened, realizing he didn’t say the most important thing. “I’m sor—” He paused when he saw movement in the corner of his eyes.

Taeja scooted closer to him — not too close, but not too far. Just like she always did. “That’s love, Zain,” was all she said. She didn’t sound angry or sad. She sounded… normal. Like the Taeja he was used to.

And that worried him.

Why wasn’t she crying? Screaming?

Still unable to look at her, he remained focused on the seat before himself.

Love.

She said he loved her.

People fell in and out of love too easily. That wasn’t what he felt for her.

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