The tortured way my name sounds as it escapes from his lips shatters my heart into a million jagged pieces. Whether he understands it or not, I’m doing what’s best for myself. I need time and distance from the situation to process everything that transpired. There’s no way I can do that with Austin at my side. He might not mean to, but he clouds my judgement.
Even as I stand in front of him, I feel myself wavering. The attraction is still there and just like he claimed, it hums beneath the surface, patiently waiting for a chance to break free.
When he doesn’t drop his hands, I whisper, “You need to let me go.”
He sucks in a harsh breath as his expression grows fierce, his fingers turning into manacles. “What you’re asking is impossible. I can’t do it. You gave yourself to me and nothing will ever change that.”
His words bring a sting of tears to my eyes.
It’s true.
That’s exactly what I did.
And…I wouldn’t go back and change it.
The last thing I want is to fight with him. I can’t do it when there is so much emotion churning inside me. So much that needs to be sorted out.
“But if you want me to back off, that’s what I’ll do, because it’s what you need to heal.”
Instead of releasing me, he drags me closer and wraps his arms around my body until I’m cocooned in his comforting strength as he presses a tender kiss against the crown of my head.
“I love you,” he whispers in my ear. “And nothing will ever change that.”
A sob gathers in my chest, making it impossible to breathe as I shove my way out of his arms. Once I’ve retreated, I inhale a lungful of fresh air and pray that it helps to clear my head.
Our gazes cling as I take a careful step away. His muscles tense and I get the feeling that he’s fighting himself not to leap forward. If he does, I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive the onslaught of emotion without falling to pieces.
My head and heart have never been at war.
But they are now.
All I know is that I can’t allow my heart to win this battle.
When I take another tentative step, his eyes flare and his hands tighten into fists until the knuckles turn bone white. When he remains perfectly still, I draw in a shaky breath before swinging away and running toward the stone building as swiftly as possible.
I expect his fingers to lock around me, dragging me back to him.
But it doesn’t happen.
It’s only when I reach the glass doors and yank them open that I throw a hasty look over my shoulder to find that Austin has disappeared from sight.
And my life.
DELILAH
With my lunch tray in hand, I stop and survey the cafeteria, looking around for a place to sit. It’s been two weeks since everything exploded in the parking lot. Only now does it feel as if everything is slowly returning to normal.
Well…a new kind of normal.
A better kind of normal.
Mom quietly turned in her resignation and found a new job at Hawthorne Public.
Trust me, the irony isn’t lost on me.
Or her.
She no longer refers to the kids as low-life animals and seems to enjoy working in the office.