I had another opportunity yesterday morning at the hotel. I couldn’t find the bottle I had broken, but there were tons of things in the room. I could have even grabbed a lamp and hit him over the head. Or even strangled him. But I ran. I always seemed to run.
I picked up one of the guns and cocked it. I was done running. Tomorrow I was going to end this. I aimed at the target and pressed the trigger.
Chapter 43
Wednesday
I was expecting Miles to be asleep when I slipped into his room. But he was sitting at his desk reading a piece of paper. When he saw me, he slid the paper back into the envelope.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Nothing important.” He tossed it on his desk and stood up.
It felt like I was dreaming as he walked over to me. And if I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up.
He cupped my cheek in his hand. “Ever sin
ce you disappeared, I had this idea in my head that love was synonymous with pain. But we finally get to stop hurting now. We finally get to experience what it really is.”
I used to think the same thing. That love was just some sick excuse to get hurt. “There are so many things I never got to say to you.” I stared into his dark brown eyes and all my thoughts disappeared. “So many nights I stayed awake looking at the stars wishing you knew that I loved you.”
“I knew.” He smiled. “You wouldn’t have been so annoying when we were little if you weren’t in love with me.”
I laughed. “You’re so conceited…”
His lips crashed against mine, silencing me. I melted into him. I was addicted to all of him. Smell, sight, taste, touch, and sound.
“Annoying.” His voice was low when his lips traveled down to my neck. “Kind.” He kissed the side of my neck. “Frustrating.”
I laughed.
“Intelligent.” His kisses trailed down my collarbone. “Infuriating.”
“Miles!”
“Funny.” He pushed my sweater off my shoulder and kissed it. “And so fucking beautiful. So perfect.”
“That was a list of good and bad things. Clearly I’m not perfect.”
“No, they were all good things.” His hand slid beneath the hem of my sweater and he traced the scar on my stomach with his thumb. “Every inch of you is perfect.”
Yes, we got to say everything we never got to the first time around. But him saying that was all I needed to know. He accepted me, scars and all. No, not just accepted me. Loved me in spite of them. Loved me because of them.
“You’re not just conceited,” I said. “You were a terribly mean little boy.”
He laughed.
“But sweet. Strong. Confident. Stubborn. And you’re sexy as sin. I used to think that you were my prince. My knight in shining armor. I know you tear yourself up for not being there for me. But I don’t think I was ever meant to be a princess. I was born to be a superhero too.”
“You’re a much better superhero than me. You’d actually look good in leather and spandex.”
“Oh I don’t know about that. You could pull off leather.”
“We’ve been back together for less than 24 hours and you’re already trying to change me?”
“No.” I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair like he did so often. “I wouldn’t want to change a thing about you.” My hand paused on the back of his neck. “Except for how much I hurt you.”
“I wish your heart had never been broken.” His hand was still on my stomach. “I wish he’d never touched you. I wish I could take away your pain.”