Page 19 of Follow Me to Your Heart
I reached out to touch her, but she backed away with a slight sway of her head. A heavy sigh expelled from my mouth as I dragged my hands down my face. Korren’s energy was off. She could try to act as if everything was sweet, but from the way she acted, it was evident it wasn’t. Despite my apology, she still harbored some ill feelings. Lorie was a sore spot for her, and I understood.
“Then why are you acting like you don’t want me to touch you or anything?” I questioned, raising a brow. “You only get like this when something is bothering you. Don’t act as if I don’t know you. It’s because of Lorie, isn’t it?”
“I just think it’s crazy how you can still deal with her after how being with her affected our relationship. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that I won’t always come first in your life once you get into a serious relationship. I’m fine with that. It’s just . . .” Korren’s voice trailed off as her tongue slowly crossed over her top row of teeth. “I can’t stand that bitch.”
My head flung back. A hearty laugh rumbled from the pit of my stomach. I tried holding it in, but the bite in Korren’s tone and the scowl etched on her pretty face let me know how serious she was. By the time I was done laughing, she allowed me to slide my arms around her and kiss her forehead. Her stubborn ass didn’t embrace me back. She kept her arms crossed, pouting.
“Fix your face, man.” I chuckled, and she rolled her eyes. “Better stop before they get stuck.”
“Whatever. Can we go eat now so I can study?”
“Not until you tell me you love and forgive me.”
Korren twisted her lips, trying to mask the smile threatening to break free. She avoided eye contact with me, but I could feel the way her heart thumped against her arms onto me. Carefully, I parted them and made her wrap them around me. As I expected, Korren’s stubborn demeanor washed away as she melted into my body. Her head lay on my chest, bun brushingagainst my beard, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was right where I needed her to be.
Finally, after about a minute of silence, she spoke. “You piss me off with some of the shit you do, but you know that’ll never keep me from loving you, Cage. You know I love you. I forgive you too. It’s hard not to get in my feelings when she’s brought up.”
“I get it, KoKo. I do, so I’m going to be cool on her. I already have been, but she caught me slipping. She caught me at a vulnerable time, and I gave in.”
“Like I said before, you can continue messing around with her if that’s what you desire to do, but don’t mention her whenever you’re around me. If you gotta block her number whenever you’re around me, do it, or you’re going to hear my mouth every time.”
All I could do was laugh and agree. “You know I’ll do whatever to make you happy. It’s your world. I’m simply living in it.”
“And my world wouldn’t be complete without you.”
I squeezed her tighter, and she rubbed her hands up and down my back. Our heartbeats, our breathing, our vibrations, . . . everything was in sync with us. I’d heard people talk about having soulmates, and I truly believed Korren was mine. It was a feeling I couldn’t shake, a feeling I’d felt since we’d first met. Once again, my lips pressed against her forehead before I pulled away.
“You don’t know how upside down my world would be without you.”
“Have you talked to Sienna?”Taylor questioned as I finished packing my suitcase.
“Not seriously like we need to, but I plan to pop up on her once I’m back at home. It’s crazy because I feel like she knows she’s wrong for how she handled things the night of the party and doesn’t want to admit it. I don’t know. I could be wrong, but it’s not like her to shut down like this.”
“One, she was dead ass wrong. Two, has she always been like that? I mean, I remember you saying she was acting differently at the beginning of the semester, so it doesn’t seem out of character for her.”
I shook my head and closed my suitcase. “She hasn’t, which is why I’m concerned. She was acting differently, but nothinglike she is now. For her to drunkenly go off with some random like that was out of character for her.”
“Do you think it was because of me?”
“No, Tay. It definitely wasn’t you. She may have been jealous you were around, but her actions were solely because of her.”
With her lips pursed together, Taylor bobbed her head in understanding. I was grateful she didn’t press it anymore. Sienna was one of my soft spots, so for her to be acting the way she was what truly bothered me. We had texted here and there, but it wasn’t the same.
Fall break was upon us, and I couldn’t have been more elated. The first few weeks of class had been stressful on top of me keeping my mental health together. The twelve credit classes I was taking had me reconsidering my choices for next semester, but I was determined to push through. My goal was to graduate a year early by taking classes through the summer as well. I wanted to get an early start on my career, and I was already amid it.
There was a knock at the door, so I skipped to the front to open it for Cage. He was taking Taylor and me to Camden Cove for the week and promised to hang with me for a few days. I hoped he was able to keep his word, but I never knew when the streets were calling.
“Aw, Cage!” I gushed as he handed me a bouquet of white lilies. “What are these for?”
“Just because you were on my mind, and you’ve had a rough few weeks. Anything to put a smile on your face and relieve some of your stress.”
“Thank you. You can be sweet when you want to be.”
Cage walked in and playfully brushed by me. “I’m always sweet to you. You’re the only person who gets that type of treatment twenty-four seven. Not even my mama or Symone can, so you know you’re special.”
“I better be.”
I walked up to Cage and kissed his cheek. As I tried to walk away, he gently tugged me back by the arm and wrapped his arms around me. My face nuzzled into his neck as I embraced him back with my free arm. No matter what, the moment I was in Cage’s arms, nothing else mattered.
