He takes a step toward me, and my body tenses. I’m terrified he’s going to kiss me again, and I love him so much that I’ll let him. I’ll push him away, but not until our lips have touched and danced to a familiar song that only we seem to hear.
“Fall apart, Tria. Slap me, punch me, kick me, scream at me until you can’t breathe… Do whatever you want to, but please don’t leave. I swear I’ll put you back together if you’ll let me.”
My sobs break free, and he instantly has me in his arms, drawing me against the body I’ve sought for so many different reasons. I clutch him for a moment, letting myself be comforted by the same man who has broken me. Then I pull back while shaking my head.
“I need to go. I’m sorry, but I can’t do this right now.”
“Tria,” he groans. “Baby, I’m sorry. I fucked up. I was young and—”
“And still in love with her just a few months ago.” Why can’t he see this? Why can’t he tell he’s killing me right now? “Kode, this was doomed from the beginning. You don’t love a girl like Rain Noles and get over her with a girl like me. I. Have. To. Go.”
I punctuate my words with a hiccupped sob that escapes me just as I barge by him.
“You’re wrong, Tria. You’re the only girl in the world who could have made me realize that I never could love a girl like Rain Noles.”
I keep walking, refusing to let him talk me out of this. I know what I just saw… what I just heard. Believing him now would be the death of me tomorrow.
He doesn’t follow, or chase me, or fight for me in any way as I grab my phone from the bar. I walk out, not bothering to put on any shoes. I never got my purse out of my car earlier, so at least I don’t have to worry about coming back for that.
I’m so glad Pete is in jail, because I finally have my car and my home back, and I don’t plan on getting out from under the covers for a few days.
The second I get into my car, my phone chirps, and I hesitate to read it. Finally, I do.
Your Public Boyfriend: I’m not giving up.
From anyone else, that would make me sick. With Kode, it gives me false hope. There’s no way in hell he can ever possibly prove that I won’t have to compete with the one who got away.
I know he doesn’t realize he’s playing with my head, so it’s on me to be strong enough for the both of us until he stops giving a damn. That shouldn’t take too long.
Chapter 25
TRIA
“Tria? Are you in here?”
I shush Rain while chewing on the greasy bag of chips. She walks in, her eyes wide, and gazes over the hell my room has become.
“Leo let me in. I didn’t know he was staying with you.”
“Yeah. Jack—his brother—got a girlfriend, and it got crowded, so he moved in a few days ago. He’s crashing here until he finds something,” I mumble absently.
“Have you—”
“Shh!” I interrupt as I move closer to the edge of the bed, waiting for a miracle to happen, but no. No miracle. You have to be kidding me!
My bag of chips go flying across the room, scattering and not inflicting nearly enough damage on the TV.
“Something they said?” she asks dryly, glancing back and forth between the TV and me.
“He dies?!” I yell in disbelief, glaring at the screen, still wondering if something is going to happen to magically bring him back to life.
No. Nothing. He’s dead.
“I just spent two hours of my life watching that angst-ridden, gut-clenching, long-as-hell movie to distract me from our miserable existence, and he dies right after they finally get together? How can they classify that as a romance? I’m suing them for false representation!”
Rain comes to sit beside me, sighing as she looks around at the room I’ve barely left all week.
“She wanted to give it a realistic touch,” she says in defense of the heartless person who created this tragedy—not a romance.