Page 56 of Forever Yours

“Right before I blacked out…”

I couldn’t say the rest. I wanted to. God, how I wanted to. If Fallon found out that Marshall may have been behind my attack, he’d kill him. A deep, dark part of me wanted that to happen. To seek revenge against my school bully who made my life a living hell. Marshall didn’t go to CU. I didn’t have to see him every day anymore. And I had no clue how he found out I was there. I had only recently made the decision to come and had to rely on Fallon to make it happen.

I just wanted to get out of there and pretend like it never happened. Walk down the path of obliviousness. Have the last four fucking months to be a dream I would wake up from.

“You going to finish that sentence?” Fallon asked.

I glanced away. “I’m tired. Would you mind turning the lights off on your way out?”

The bright overhead lights and the antiseptic smell of the room were making me nauseous. I’d love it if they would mute the annoying beeping, too. I didn’t need to hear my heartbeat. I could literally feel it every-fucking-where.

“Alright. I’ll be back later.”

Fallon didn’t push, and I was thankful he let it drop.

As soon as the door shut, Julien tangled his fingers with mine and pressed his lips to my arm.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered over and over.

“I know I look bad,but…” I tried to smile.

He lifted his head, his smile wavering. “You are still the sexiest, most gorgeous man I have ever seen in a hospital gown.”

I fought not to laugh, which only made me cough again. Whatever pain medication they were giving me made my mouth as dry as the Sahara. I made a weak gesture at the cup of water to my left. Julien got up and walked around to the other side of the bed. His hand trembled as he held the cup for me. The ice had melted, but it was still cold.

“Babe, I hurt like hell but I’m okay.”

Julien inhaled a shuddering breath. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

Licking the water droplets from my bottom lip, I tilted my pounding head a fraction to look up at him.

“Where were you? I texted you earlier when I was with Ash at Belly’s, and Fallon said he tried to call you, Jayson, and Ryder.”

I didn’t like the guilt that immediately shuttered his face. He leaned over and kissed me lightly on the lips.

Laying his forehead to mine, he said, “It’s not important right now. You’re the only thing that matters. God, baby, who did this to you?”

“Marshall says hi.”

An ear-deafening crack reverberated in my head as it was slammed against the unforgiving floor.

I jumped when I heard the phantom sound of my skull cracking against the concrete floor.

“It was the guy from the party.”

I’d gotten a decent look at him in the mirror before he kicked my knee in.

Julien went stock-still. “The guy with the big mouth?”

I nodded as much as my headache would allow.

“He came out of nowhere and shoved me to the bathroom, and…” I touched my swollen cheek. “It happened so fast. I was so scared. It hurt so much. I just wanted you,” I rasped.

And that was the crack that finally broke through Julien’s tenuous hold to keep his emotions in check. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, clutched the sheet over my legs, and sobbed.

His anguished tears ripped me wide open.

“You needed me, and I wasn’t there. Please forgive me. I love you so much. I can’t lose you, too, Elijah.”

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