Filed to story: Uncategorized
Whatever had happened, all I knew was that I needed to be with Ace.
I took another step closer…and another. Ace held my gaze as I approached, and with every inch I neared him, a little more of the weight on my shoulders lifted.
I blinked. What the hell am I doing? ?I felt deranged. Unstable. I wanted to cry but didn’t know why.
Ace froze, noticing my sudden misery. “Doe”—he held a hand out to me—“it’s okay.”
I shook my head, taking a step back. Ace tracked the movement, and his frown turned more desperate.
“I…I don’t…” I looked around to see if anyone was watching us, but everyone seemed consumed with their work.
Tears of frustration formed in my eyes. How did I end up here, so close to him, when I’ve been doing so well at staying away from him?
I felt out of control. And disoriented. I needed a break. I needed to get away.
I turned and fled from the classroom, sprinting to the nearest restroom.
Standing in one of the stalls, with my hands on the walls on either side to stabilize myself, I tried to get my breathing under control. The world seemed to be tilting under my feet.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
My inner monologue was pointless. Tears were racing down my face, splashing onto the tiled floor. I felt pathetic. And small. And confused.
As if on cue, Ace burst into the bathroom. Before I got the chance to slam the stall door in his face, his arms wrapped around my center and gently pulled my back against his front.
The relief was instant. Those familiar sparks raced through me, forcing me to relax.
“Doe. My poor girl,” Ace whispered in my ear. His voice sounded haunted, reminding me that he was hurting just as much.
I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself not to lean against him even as my body screamed in protest. “Don’t call me your girl, Ace.” I struggled against him. “Let me go.”
His low growl vibrated through my back. I gasped. I’d missed that sound.
“You are my girl, whether or not you want to admit it. I’m not letting you go. I
~can’t~ let you go.” He held me a bit tighter. “Now, please stop fighting me. I don’t want to hurt your shoulder.”
I tried to fight him, I really did. But after an entire minute of trying to pry his arms off me and not budging him even a little, I slumped forward with a defeated sigh.
Ace sensed my surrender and started to purr in approval. One of his arms moved over my chest while the other encircled my waist. He pressed his face to the top of my head and inhaled deeply.
Neither of us said anything for a while. We simply stood there, basking in each other’s touch like two halves finally made whole again.
Ace pressed a hard, almost desperate kiss to my head. “I’m so… so sorry, Doe,” he rasped against my hair. “Please believe me. ~Please.~ It’s killing me to see you in so much pain.”
More tears fell down my cheeks. Why do I always have to be so weak around him?
My voice was nothing more than a whisper. “I told you I wouldn’t run from you again. Why didn’t you believe me?”
Ace let out a quiet sigh. “I know. I should have trusted you. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“I was just scared.”
“I know. You were scared, and I yelled at you. And hurt you. I was in the wrong. You deserve to be mad. You ~should~ be mad.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I am,” I grumbled.
He hummed. “I’ve missed you, Doe.” He leaned down, letting his mouth brush over the hair above my ear. “I didn’t like being away from you for so long.”
I didn’t like it either. “You shouldn’t have been such a dick then.”
He growled and nipped at the tip of my ear in warning. An embarrassing whimper escaped my lips. Then he dipped his tongue out and licked the same spot, cooling it.
I gripped his arm around my chest. “We…we should probably get back to class.” The words felt like an arrow through my midsection.
Ace shook his head and molded his face to my neck. “Please, Doe,” he begged. “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be away from you any longer.
“Neither can you. You had to leave in the middle of class to cry in the bathroom because you couldn’t touch me when you needed it. We need each other.”
I nearly scoffed. “Be away from me? You haven’t left me alone since our fight. Every time I look over my shoulder, there you are.”
“Just like it’s supposed to be.” He turned me around by my waist so I was looking up at him. “I know you didn’t mean it when you told your family we broke up.”
I was still mad at Thomas for telling him that. “What if you’re wrong?”
His lips turned up as if he was amused by the idea of me actually breaking up with him. “Oh?”
“You don’t know what’s going on in my head.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can read you like a book, Doe. You can’t hide anything from me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can read you like a book, Doe. You can’t hide anything from me.” Ace’s hands caressed my sides, leaving hot sparks in their wake.
“Like, right now, you’re thinking about how exhausted you are. How much you want to go to sleep. In my arms.”
He leaned down to kiss my brow. “I want that too. How about we go home and take a nice nap together? Please. We both need it.”
That did sound nice.
“You know, before this year…” I sighed. “Before this year, I had perfect attendance.
Straight As. I was an incredible student. I was even thinking about going to college.
What the heck happened?”
“We grew up. And you figured out that your worth does not depend on your grades or attendance. You have bigger things going on in your life.”
I allowed my forehead to fall on his chest. “You were such a jerk,” I murmured. “I should never talk to you ever again.”
“I know. I was horrible to you. But it was just because I was worried. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I didn’t know I was hurting you.
“It’s no excuse, but I have a hard time controlling myself when it comes to you and your safety. I would have never touched you like that if I knew what my father did to you.”
“You shouldn’t have touched me like that, no matter the circumstances.”
“You’re right. It will never happen again. I give you my word. I’ll do better, Doe. I’ll be better for you. I’ll control myself, my instincts. Anything so that I won’t lose you.
Please.”
Silence hung between us while he waited for me to respond.
“All right,” I finally said.
Ace sucked in a breath. “All right?”
I nodded. “So long as nothing like that ever happens again, I…I forgive you.”
Ace’s face broke out in a breathtaking smile. Then he slammed his lips down onto mine.