Page 57 of Unspoken Words
Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached my bedroom and opened the door. Connor was sitting on the edge of my bed, his arms resting on his knees, his head in his hands. And for the towering giant he was, never had he appeared so small.
“Hey,” I said, quietly.
He looked up. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“Don’t be.” I closed the door behind me and pressed my back to it. “But you should be sorry for hitting Tristan and for treating me like shit these past few weeks.”
He narrowed his eyes, the remorse he’d just shown washing away like a receding wave. “I’m not sorry for hitting Tristan, the bastard deserved it.”
“How on earth did he deserve that?”
“Because he’s been making a move on you.”
“WHAT?” I pushed off from the door and placed my hands on my hips. “Who told you that? Oh, wait a minute, let me guess … Lilah?”
“No. Why would Lilah tell me that?”
“Because the two of you have become quite close. You tell her things and she tells you things and—”
“What are you talking about, Eloise?”
His use of my full name, as if I were a child being lectured, pissed me off. “Don’t patronise me.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Then stop talking in riddles.”
“If I wanted to riddle, I’d go read a fucking Dr Seuss book,” I snapped.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Lilah has nothing to do with anything, unlike her dick of a brother.”
“Bullshit! When you go running to her instead of talking to me, she haseverythingto do with it. Tristan, on the other hand, has only ever been sweet and helpful.”
His face contorted. “Running to her instead of talking to you? What are you talking about?”
“Remember Good Friday?”
“How could I forget? You gutted me that day.”
“Yeah? Well, you gutted me when you poured your heart out to her instead of coming back when I called out to you.”
“I didn’t pour my heart—”
He paused, realisation widening his eyes. “Wait, letmeguess … Tristan told you that?”
“Yeah, he did. He was there. Said he heard everything.”
“Sounds like he heard things that were never said.” Connor laughed, but it wasn’t the pleasant kind. “Wow! The fuckwit must have magic ears.”
“He wasn’t the only one who told me, Lilah mentioned it in passing as well. She was just so ‘thankful she could lend her ear in your time of need’,” I said, my tone mocking her pathetic explanation. “I’m sure she’d be happy to lend other body parts as well.”
“Don’t be so bloody stupid.”
“I’M NOT BEING STUPID,” I yelled. “YOU WENT TOHER. YOU TALKED TOHER.” I pointed to my chest. “You’re supposed to talk to me. You’vealwaystalked to me even when you haven’t, when you’ve used your unspoken words. Those words,allyour words … they’re mine not hers.” Tears fell onto my cheeks, so I wiped them and continued. “Do you think I want Lilah to be the one to console you? I begged you to come back. I was sorry,reallysorry, and I wanted to tell you that. I wanted to tell you that the only reason I was pressuring you to play basketball again was because I knew you loved playing it. How could you not after reaching such a high level? I wanted you to have that love and passion again. And I … I wanted to be the one to give it to you. I wanted to fix it.”
“Ellie—”
