My jaw clenches tight as pain pulses through my chest and shoots right to my fingertips. “I don’t want to run.”
“I know you don’t.”
“It’s always been my shield. Things get bad and I put one foot in front of the other and move. Leave before the pain hits.”
He stands to his full height, pushing his hands into his pockets. “But did it work, did you manage to stop the hurt? When you were a kid? And when you left Mase?”
I frown.
“I’m not trying to be a dick, Nina. But you say you run to stop the hurt, but you seem to live by a rule that doesn’t seem to protect you.” He pulls me back into him and I let him, hiding my face in his chest. “Ellis left him, Nina, way before her time. Then his dad. He’s just afraid you’ll do the same. You need to hear him out this time.”
Lifting my head, I look up at the special man who comforts me, someone who I have grown so fond of over the past year. “You’re a good friend, Elliot.”
“The best.” He grins, letting me go. “It’s not what you think, I promise.”
“I want to run,” I admit.
“I know.”
“Will you stay with me?”
“Of course, I will.”
I nod. “I will listen to what he has to say.” Instantly, my head is filled with visions of the two of them together and a fresh wave of tears fall. “Try to at least.”
“Like, now?”
“If I don’t do it now, I won’t ever. Can we stay in here?”
He nods once. “I’ll go get him. Go freshen up.” He points to the bathroom, then leaves.
Elliot’s office is the same layout as Mason’s, although it’s moodier, with lower lights and a more homely vibe with the décor. He has photos around the office of his family and of him and the guys and plush cushions scattered on his sofas.
I use the bathroom, splashing water on my face and straightening out my hair, then text Logan and tell him I’ll be slightly later than planned. Although, the idea of going to work right now is the last thing I want to do. It’s been a long weekend without Ellis, and then I had to work today.
Wringing my hands, I move and stand at the back of the sofa. I count to ten, trying to calm my nerves.
One… Two… Three… Four… The door whooshes open, stealing the air in my lungs and what feels like every bit of oxygen in the room. Elliot walks to me first, giving me a small smile.
Mason stands in the doorway, his brow cast low, shielding his dark eyes.
“I want to speak with you alone, Nina.”
I shake my head, biting my lip until a metallic tang oozes on my tongue. “I have nothing to say. I promised Elliot I’d listen, and I will, but I want him to stay.”
His jaw clenches, his nostrils flaring with his obvious anger.
“I’m standing here, like a damn fool, willing to hear you out. You’d do well to keep your anger in check,” I snap.
I consider walking away before he can talk and make everything worse than it already is.
“Let’s sit down,” Elliot suggests, forcing my feet forward with a hand on my shoulder.
Mason remains standing.
I can tell he’s processing his words as if he needs to get them right before he speaks them.
As if he’s perfecting his lies.
