I inhale as she hits the ground hard, her knees taking the brunt of the fall, taking a step forward before I yank myself back.
Come on, I will her. My fists clench.Get up, Emilia.
Her head hangs down, her hands on the wet road.
If she’s hurt herself—
I burst out from my hiding place before I can think better of it, stalking down the road.
As I get closer, I slow.
She’ssobbing.
Gut-wrenching, deep sobs pulled from low in her chest as she folds over herself, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Emilia cries as if her heart is broken.
She cries the way I wish I could.
I stop behind her, indecision keeping me in place.
“Emilia.” My voice is low, rough. She doesn’t hear me, so I say it again, my voice still gravelly. “Emilia!”
Her cry cuts off in a choked, fearful gasp as she turns, pulling herself backward. “Don’t—,”
“It’s me.” I step closer, pulling off my hat and holding out my hand. “It’s Jared.”
She stares at me through the rain, blinking the water from her widening eyes. They’re smudged with dark, her mascara running down her face. “Jared? What the hell – were youfollowingme?”
Something about her anger brings my own rising up, even though I try to stop it. “You’re going to get yourself killed. You may as well write a fucking sign over your head! What the hell were you thinking?”
She stumbles to her feet, a small, pained sound slipping from her lips. My eyes drop to her knees. To the torn, bloody skin underneath her ruined tights before they lift to her face. She looks furious. “I told you, I don’t need a babysitter.”
My laugh is rough as I gesture at her. “Clearly, you fucking do.”
She swallows, her eyebrows dropping down to scrunch over her eyes. “Go home, Jared.”
“Believe me, I’d love to. As soon as you do.”
Her mouth drops open. “I don’t want you here!”
God, she’s irritating.
I sweep my hand around us. “Can you point out the sign stating this is your property? Because I’m not seeing it.”
Taking a step closer, I glare down at her. “I have better things to do than follow you around because you can’t even take basicsafety precautions. Things that involve fucking sleep, and warm clothes.”
Her next words are enunciated, each word punctured with a pause as she tilts her face up, hissing. “I. Didn’t. Ask. You. To. Follow. Me.”
I’m more than ready to meet her anger with my own. “You didn’t.Hedid.”
Silence.
And then she stumbles back, away from me. Her voice is hoarse, and tiny, and it makes me feel like shit. “What?”
I didn’t mean to tell her that.
I didn’t want her to know.
