I shake my head. “Lucas, no. It shouldn’t be this way. Trying is good to an extent but —”
“Fuck that.Fuckwhat it should be. We made memories. We made plans. We could have that again. We could be fucking together again.”
My eyes tear up at his grip. “No, Lucas. We can’t be. We never should’ve been.”
Which tightens yet again, to the point of real pain now. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Any idea how this will affect me?”
I twist in his grasp. “Lucas, please. Let me go.”
He leans closer, digging his large, strong fingers in my arm. “I just lost my father, Echo, and you didn’t even have the decency to wait. You didn’t even have the decency to pretend.”
“Lucas, please,” I implore, struggling. “You’re hurting me. You —”
“Yeah, what the fuck about my hurt? Whatthe fuck,” he shakes me, his eyes manic now, “about what you put me through?”
“And I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry that I —”
“Sorry doesn’t make up for it, does it?” he snaps, biting out, coming so close to me that I’m afraid now.
I’m afraid that he might do something.
Something drastic.
“Lucas, please, I —”
And just like that, he leaves me and steps back.
And gosh, I can breathe again.
I take big gulps of air, my arm smarting with pain, my eyes stinging with tears.
Lucas looks at me for a second or two, still angry. But at least that manic look is gone from his eyes.
Then, “Well, fuck you, Echo. For wasting my time. For stringing me along and then dumping me. Without actually giving me the goods that I’d been working for.”
My heart twists. “Lucas —”
“And fuck you for picking him. It’s always him, isn’t it? He has to be the fucking center of attention.”
I shake my head. “No. It’s not about him.”
He narrows his eyes. “It is though, isn’t it? Somehow it’s always about him.”
“It’s —”
He sighs then. “Well, tell him that I’m coming for him. Tell him to watch his back.”
My heart jumps in fear again but before I can ask him what he means by that, he turns around and strides out of the room.
And I stand there, panting and sore in the arm.
But only for a few seconds.
After that I’m running out of there.
I have to get out of here, go find him.
Make sure that he’s okay.