Page 165 of Broken Pieces
She stares at me, trying to make sense of it, as if she looks hard enough, the words will rearrange themselves into something easier to understand. Her shoulders drop. “Jesus Christ, Zane.”
“I didn’t plan it,” I blurt out. “It just happened. Griff, this guy who was in one of my homes knew some guys who run fights. Said they’d pay good money. And I needed it. We needed it.”
She blinks. Her mouth opens, but she’s too stunned to speak.
She shakes her head, takes a step back, and another. “I needed it. You think I asked you to do that, Zane?”
“No,” I say, voice rising, my frustration boiling. “I’m trying to give you something better. Something stable.”
“You think I give a shit about money? You think I care about some fucking stable future if it means losing you in the process?”
“Then, tell me what it is,” I shout, the words ripping out of me. “Because I’m standing here fucking bleeding for you, Skylar!”
Her eyes burn into me. “No, you’re bleeding because you can’t stop fighting ghosts that aren’t even chasing you anymore.”
That one lands deeper than I expect. Cuts right to the bone.
I drag a hand through my hair, wincing when my fingers graze the bruise on my temple.
“You don’t get it,” I bite out. “Every time I step into that ring, I win. For once, I fucking win at something. It means I’m not some useless fuck-up who only ever drags everyone down.”
Her arms cross tightly over her chest. Her eyes glisten. “I didn’t ask you to fight for me. I wanted you to tell me the truth.” She swallows. “I just wanted you.”
The space between us hums, thick with all the words we’ve never said.
The entire world feels too small to hold everything that’s happening here.
I take a step forward until we’re face to face. My hands itch to touch her, but I force them to stay at my sides. I have to get this out first. I have to tell her how I fucking feel before she walks away for good.
Swallowing, I drag up the words from deep down. I’m scared of saying too much, but I push through.
“I’ve never fucking loved anything in my life,” I say, voice rough. “Nothing ever felt worth it.”
Her eyes stay locked on mine, but I don’t stop.
“But I love you.” The words tear out of me. “I fucking love you, Skylar.” My voice cracks, but I keep going. “I didn’t mean to. Hell, I didn’t even know it was happening until it already had. But it’s here.” I tap my chest. “In my fucking heart. You’re in my head every second of every day. When I’m lying in bed beside you staring at the ceiling, trying not to drown in everything I can’t say.”
Her lips part, but nothing comes out. A stray tear slides down her cheek, catching the light as it falls.
I press on, even though my throat’s closing around the words.
“I wake up and you’re the only thing that makes sense in this fucked-up world. I tried not to love you. God, I fuckingtried. I did everything to push it down. Buried it under anger, distraction, pain. But you… you crawled under my fucking skin and made a home there.”
I step closer, eyes locked on hers.
“I have no fucking idea how to be me anymore without you. You’ve got my heart, Sky, and I don’t even think you fucking meant to take it. But it’s yours. All the broken, fucked-up pieces of it. You own me in a way no one ever has. I don’t have the right words, not the sweet ones you deserve. I’m not built for that shit. But this… me standing here, telling you this, it’s everything I’ve got.”
I grab her face, my thumbs catching the tears on her cheeks.
“You want the truth?” My voice scrapes out of me. “I’m fucking terrified of needing anyone. Of what that does to a person. But I need you, Sky.”
“You could get killed, Zane,” she says, her voice quieter now.
“Yeah,” I rasp. “But I won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I don’t need to,” I say, leaning in, forehead pressing to hers. “I’ve got something to fight for now.”
