Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Stella’s chest is moving faster than before as she tries to keep her shit under control.
I have no idea if she’s trying to tamper her anger or her need to give up. I’m also not sure which I want more.
“I’m sorry,” I say after the longest silence of my life.
Her eyes narrow as if she doesn’t believe a word of it.
“You didn’t deserve any of that. None of my issues are to do with you, but I made you the outlet for my hate. I used you. I humiliated you. I. Made. You. Fucking. Mine. Although, I’m less sorry about that last one.”
“I’m not yours, Seb,” she states. “I don’t belong to you or anyone. I’m a fucking person, not a belonging you can shove in the closet until you think they deserve some attention.”
“I know,” I whisper. “That’s not what I want to do with you.”
“Just fucking tell her, bro,” Theo says, breaking the tension.
“Tell me what?” Stella asks, jumping on his demand. “What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything, baby. He’s not talking about that.”
“Then what the fuck is he talking about?”
“Something I’m not confessing in front of all these motherfuckers.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to deny me anything right now, do you?”
I shake my head, my eyes begging her not to press this. Not in front of the others. But she’s having none of it.
“I want you, okay? And I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry I ever hurt you.”
Her shoulders sag and her entire body visibly relaxes as my words hit her. For the first time, possibly ever, she believes me.
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”
“I’m fucked up, baby. I thought you already knew that.”
Her finger twitches on the trigger and my heart jumps into my throat. I might be pretty damn confident that she wouldn’t actually shoot me straight between the eyes, but crazier things have happened, I suppose.
“Hellion?” I ask, sensing a shift in her after my confession. “What do you say? Wanna have a go at this without wanting to kill each other?”
Her chest heaves as she stares at me. She might think her expression is blank, but I can see way more than I’m sure she thinks I can.
And she’s crumbling faster than she can control.
Just when I think she’s going to drop the gun and give me a real answer, her hand twitches to the side, and a loud bang echoes around us as my entire body jolts in shock.
“Holy shit,” someone cries, but my attention is still so entirely on Stella to appreciate what just happened.