“Shhhh,” he says.
“W-will you f-forgive me,” I stutter as I speak, “f-for the worst of me that c-came out after that night?”
I mean the awful thoughts.
I mean being a coward.
I mean running away instead of dealing with things like an adult.
“Hey, look at me.” His finger goes under my chin, tilting my wet face up so that I can see his eyes. His body shakes with a soft chuckle. “If that’s the worst of you, petal, then you are not that bad.”
Petal.
I chuckle through tears.
We are so broken.
So fucked up.
And we are finally making amends. At least, I hope so.
Two people torn apart by a misunderstanding and finally coming to peace in the ruins of the world.
In a dim cave.
Hugging on the floor of the boat.
Thisis change.
18
KAI
I am notsure what happened in the cave.
I wanted to give Callie a little scare, knowing her fright of water. I wanted to teach her a lesson, which was shitty of me in the first place.
But when I saw her screaming and breaking down in that boat, I went into full panic mode.
I shouldn’t have done it. We should have sat down and talked like she asked.
But that’s what bitterness and hatred do—turn you into a monster, right?
And then she is in my arms. I don’t even care that I am pressing her to my scars. Those scars are the harsh consequences. We have them deep inside. But mine are on the outside, too. Being called a monster behind your back slowly makes you one. But that moment when I saw her screaming my name and collapsing in that boat made my heart hammer in panic like it had never done before.
My stupid. Dirty. Broken. Fucking. Heart.
Still beating.
And still beating hard for Callie Mays.
Fuck. Me.
I hold her crying in my arms, and I feel too much. Anger. Regret. Guilt. Rage. Hurt. And something else that makes my heart beat like mad. Because she is in my arms.
Finally.
I shake, because she is the closest she’s ever been. The past comes down onto me like a waterfall. What I felt. How much I wanted her. How much I despised her for running away like a coward.