Page 76 of When We Fall: Part One
“Marry me tomorrow,” I said softly, desperate to cling to the memories we’d just made.
She ran her hand gently down my abs, tracing the muscles as she went.
“Sunshine.” I stopped her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Marry me tomorrow.”
“I want a wedding,” she said softly. “Like we planned. I want a dress and my family. I want your family. I want the dancing and celebrating. I don’t want to marry because you’re afraid you’re going to lose me. I want to do it because we’re happy and ready.”
I closed my eyes and breathed out. She was right. I didn’t want her to be, but damnit, she was.
“OK,” I whispered. “Just like we planned.”
“Mm.” She placed a kiss on my chest. “I love you.”
I smiled at her words, my head still spinning. “I love you, too, Rosalie.”
And that was it.
I passed out.
Happily.
TWENTY-SEVEN
ANSON
Istared down at all the unanswered messages Rosalie had sent to me.
Ani? I’m sorry about what happened at the house…
Is everything OK?
I’m worried. Where are you?
It’s been a week. You’re not on campus. Just tell me you’re OK.
You’re scaring me. Can you please talk to me? I’m worried you’re not OK.
I swallowed as her name blinked across my screen. It had been days since she’d last messaged. All her calls to me went unanswered.
I exhaled and closed my eyes, feeling the phone buzzing in my hand.
Fuck.
I answered, knowing damn well I shouldn’t. Enzo had been right. One of us had to let go, and he told me it wouldn’t be him. Fox had made his decision. I kept thinking that maybe if I were separated from all of it, Fox would change his mind, thinking he needed to live because I wasn’t there to protect her.
It was strange how close he and I had gotten.
We had her to thank for that.
Of course, I’d been cutting all of it off.
“Ani?” Rosalie’s soft voice carried over the line. “Ani?”
I said nothing, my jaw shaking as I tried not to soothe her worries and tell her everything was fine. I wasn’t an idiot. I’d said I wasn’t going to pursue her. The cloudy memory of me asking her if I could kiss her that night plagued me. I was a piece of shit because had she said yes, I’d have claimed her right there on that bathroom floor, my fucked up drunken state be damned.
I could have regretted causing issues later.
Her soft sniffle made my heart constrict.
