Page 48 of Make Me Yours

“Got a lot of experience with broken hearts, Elijah? You seem more the type to break them.” He chuckles at my comment but doesn’t divulge any information on the subject. “Fine, no sharing war stories, just keep ‘em coming.”

We sit in silence for a moment, so close together, our knees practically touching. He doesn’t push me to talk, asks no more questions, or urges me to say anymore on the subject, but I feel myself aching to tell him everything.

I’ve only ever heard from the girls. Scarlett and Jade both gave me their thoughts on the subject long ago, and even Ruby’s helped not only as my most recent shoulder to cry on, but also my sane fountain of advice. I’ve never heard a male’s perspective though, other than Drake's, but not only was he biased, he was wrong.

“He led me on, more like dragged me along for the ride.” I stare down at the floor, embarrassed and unable to look him in the eye as I continue. “It started with small, innocent things. He made me feel important, like my presence among his friends meant something. We’d joke around, hang out when no one else was around, he’d call me sweet names when no one was listening…” I pause, and feel him grip my hand, urging me to continue.

“Then he’d go off, get drunk, and fuck the nearest willing body. This went on for months. The more we hung out, the closer we got, until one day, I realized I’d fallen for him along the way. I thought maybe he felt the same. He obviously cared about me, the way he reacted when we were close, the way he looked at me, protected me. I knew I couldn’t have imagined the whole thing. Yet he could never admit to himself. I told him everything about me, confessed my darkest secrets, most of them at least, yet he refused to open up about his past, and then…”

Elijah’s thumb rubs the palm of my hand; comforting me and silently telling me I can trust him. “Well, nothing. He reminded me once again that I’d never be worth his time. That no matter how hard I tried or how much I begged, he’d never see me any other way. Even if he did, he wouldn’t waste his time with me.”

“He said I wasn’t worth the trouble. I thought it was a defense mechanism, a wall he put up to protect himself, protect his feelings. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it. Everything between us was all a lie. I was a project, a social experiment. He’d never had a taste of someone like me. I was a rare breed of girl, and in the end, not worth the risk.”

My throat burns more than it ever has before, as I swallow back the tears I don’t want him to see. I’ve cried enough for Kai and all he’s done to hurt me. I won’t cry anymore.

Sensing my pain, he brings my hand to his lips, softly pressing his lips to our entwined fingers. “You're worth all of that and so much more, Little Dove. I’m sorry the idiot couldn’t realize what he had before it was too late.” I gaze up and meet his eyes and a strange emotion runs through me. Safety. “Though I’m glad he didn’t.”

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