He was lying, I know it, but it doesn’t mean it hurts any less.
What we had, have, is real and nothing he does or says can convince me otherwise.
“Have you heard from him?” Kira asks.
“Who? Hollis?” I ask stupidly.
She smiles but quickly hides it. “No, your dad.”
I snort. “God, no. I’m still mad at him. He’s called, but I don’t answer. I talked to my mom though. She feels awful. She tried to stop him, but…”
Kira tilts her head. “But no one, not even your mom, can stop him when he’s out for blood?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “He’s some kind of beast when he’s angry.”
In a soft voice she says, “Have you ever stopped to think maybe it’s because you were kidnapped? Something like that has had to have lasting scars on your parents and dude’s take shit like that harder anyway. They have to be the hero and protector, all that jizz.”
“It’s jazz.”
“I like my version better.” She grins, tucking her legs under her before grabbing another slice of pizza.
We pig out on pizza and ice cream before crashing in my bed—Kira claiming she’s too full to make it home.
She falls asleep almost instantly, but I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about Hollis, how I planned to celebrate today with him at my family’s house like always, but instead I’m sulking with Kira.
Everything went from the best time of my life to the worst.
Eventually I get out of bed and run some water for a bubble bath. My bathtub is nowhere near as nice as the one Hollis had in his hotel room, but it works.
I sink down into the steaming water and sigh. My hair is tied up in a messy bun and I drop down into the lavender scented water as much as I can.
I never knew I could hurt like this. This ache deep in my heart and soul, like a vital piece of me is missing.
Hollis took a part of me with him, a part I’m never going to get back, one I’ll have to unfortunately learn to live without.
When the water goes from hot to warm and then begins to cool even more I finally get out. My fingers are wrinkled little prunes but I don’t care. I pull on a pair of pajamas and pad back into my room. I lift the lid on my hamper to drop my towel in but it hits the edge and falls to the floor. I sigh and bend down to pick it up.
My hand closes around it and my eyes narrow, spotting something shiny behind my dresser.
I reach for it and pull it out, finding a large recta
ngular wrapped birthday present.
I glide my fingers over the paper, my heart beating a mile minute, because there’s only one possible person who could’ve hidden a present in this exact spot.
A large part of me wants to throw it away, to never see the secrets it holds, but I know deep down I’ll never do that. I can’t.
I rip open the paper and a card falls out.
I don’t look at the gift, instead I read the card first.
In Hollis’s scrawled handwriting it reads:
For the girl who had my heart from the moment she asked who the hell I was and warned me she knew jiu-jitsu. You own me, Mia Hayes, heart, body, and soul. I’m yours forever.
—Hollis
I press a hand to my mouth to stifle the sound of my sob.