Page 21 of Crazy Obsession
Chapter Ten
The Choice
Lenor
The problem with walls is they don’t just keep people out.They keepyoutrapped inside.
I’ve spent years stacking mine brick by brick—after Jacob, after the whispers, after that night six months ago that left me raw, exposed, and aching.I thought if I built them high enough, strong enough, I’d be safe.
But walls can’t keep out Adam Blake.Not when he tears them down in front of the whole damn town.
It started at the diner.
Mrs.Carter’s voice is sharp enough to slice bread.“Another Blake boy dragging a girl’s name through the mud.Shame.”
I flinched, bracing for the heat of pitying stares.But before I can shrink away, Adam’s voice cuts through, calm and deadly.
“Funny, Mrs.Carter,” he says with a smile I know isn’t friendly.“I didn’t know you were an expert on happiness.If you were, maybe you wouldn’t spend your nights alone with a cat that hates you.”
The whole diner erupts.Mrs.Carter sputters, red as a beet.And Adam just leans back in his booth, smirking like the devil, his eyes locked on me across the room.
And for once, I don’t feel like the punch line.I feel like the prize.
****
Later that week, atthe farmer’s market, Mason tries again.He offers to carry my bags, his smile is polite, and his voice is smooth.Before I can answer, Adam appears, taking the bags from my hands without asking.
“I’ve got it,” he says firmly, his arm brushing mine as he falls into step beside me.“She’s with me.”
And just like that, the whispers stop.People stare, sure.But not with pity this time.With curiosity.With something like respect.Because Adam isn’t hiding.He isn’t ashamed.He’s claiming me in front of everyone, daring them to laugh or talk.But no one does.
I let him walk me to my car, not saying a word.And I watch him in my rearview mirror as I drive away.My walls are tumbling down, one brick at a time.
When I finally go to bed, I lie awake staring at the ceiling, my chest tight.Because I can’t deny it anymore.Adam isn’t Jacob.He isn’t Mason.He isn’t anyone but himself.Reckless, stubborn, infuriating, and mine.
The truth presses heavy and hot against my ribs, breaking through every lie I’ve told myself.I love him.God help me, I love him.Finally admitting the truth to myself lifts a massive weight off my shoulders and for the first time in more than a year, I sleep peacefully.
****
Igo looking for Adam, finally ready to tell him I want to be with him.It’s time I grab onto my happily ever after with both hands.
I find him at Blake’s.He’s behind the bar, wiping down the counters with the music low on the jukebox.When he looks up and sees me, his whole body goes still, his eyes dark and wary, like he’s bracing for another fight.
“Lennie,” he says carefully.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding.“We need to talk.”
He tosses the rag aside, crossing his arms.“That usually means you’re about to kick me in the teeth.”
“Not this time.”
His brows lift, surprise flickering across his face.“No?”
I shake my head, stepping closer, my hands trembling.“I’ve been fighting you.Fighting this.Because I was scared.Because I thought letting you in meant letting you break me.”
“Lennie...”
