Page 22 of Ruin Me
I hoped that one day, someone would remember. Someone who truly cared and would not simply use me for their own gain. As the day went on and the seconds ticked by, my longing for her grew heavier. She was the only thing that kept me going, the only reason I could endure the cruelty and judgment that surrounded me.
The school bell rang, and the sound pierced through the silence that had filled the room. I stood up and gathered my backpack, preparing to leave for the day. Austin was already waiting by the door, his face filled with concern.
"Hey, man, you alright?" he asked. I looked at him, my chest filled with a mixture of emotions. I wanted to share everything with him, but I knew I couldn't.
"Yeah, Austin, I'm good," I replied, forcing a smile. "Let's get out of here." We walked out of class when I realised I had forgotten something “Oh, shit. I forgot something in my locker. I’ll meet you by the car,” he waves and nods at me as I turn back to my locker. I round the corner and see someone standing at my locker. It’s Hadley and she is standing there with a single cupcake and a small candle stuck into the icing. I slowly make my way over to her and she gives me a wide grin.
“Happy birthday, Rhett,” she says, handing me the cupcake. I look down at the perfectly crafted sweet that she spent her time making. She made this for me. Such a small gesture that warmed my heart so much.
“You made this for me?”
Her cheeks reddened and her hair fell across her face. It only makes her more adorable.
I tuck her hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Hadley.” She wraps her arms around me and gives me a warm hug. I knew at that moment that I was deeply in love with this girl.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
I snapped out of my memory wishing I had taken the chance, that I had told her how I really felt. That I had fought for her when she’d told me she didn’t want to be friends. Wishing and praying I was anyone but me.
Wishing I was good enough.
I had perfectly crafted this mask of indifference that I've been wearing for years. I couldn’t let this get to me, I needed to do what had been asked of me. It was my job, after all, and I never failed. I had spent years wishing I had told her how I felt all those years ago, I couldn’t keep thinking about it. Maybe I could’ve taken her away from the world she lives in, the shit that her father puts her through. Maybe if I was strong enough or good enough for her, she would’ve been in a better place. Either way we would have to live our lives in fear, constantly on the run from Emanuel.
I couldn’t do that to her.
No, I had to let her go.
I have to take her back to that shit show, even though it would break me forever to watch her marry that SOB Emerson Carter.
But I knew she could rise up, defeat him, and her father.
Maybe then…she’d be damaged enough that I’d deserve her.
And I would.
I’d rebuild her, put the pieces back together until she was the girl I fell in love with.
I would do that for her.
I would be there for her.
Because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I loved this woman with everything I had in me.
Seven
Hadley
Iwakefeelinggroggierthan usual. I blink a few times, trying to clear the fog of sleep from my eyes. I turn my head and smile sadly at the man sleeping next to me. How I had wished I was waking to the man I could call my own rather than my captor. There had been a time when I’d desperately wanted him to be. But he wasn’t the man I fell in love with.
Not anymore.
My father had poisoned him.
It would seem the generators have finally kicked in and the heating has turned back on.
I watch him sleep, the wrinkles in his brow as he dreams, the scruff on his face, and the lines of worry that etch around his eyes. He's never been the same since that day he walked away from me... I swallow hard, pushing down the memories that threaten to surface. I reach out and gently caress the softness of his cheek, wondering what he's dreaming about, and if things were different would there be a chance for us? I can't resist the urge to press my lips against his, a soft peck that lingers for a moment before I pull away.
His eyes flicker open, meeting mine in the dim light of the room. The intensity of those gorgeous eyes, so full of life and passion, sends shivers down my spine.
