Her laugh is humorless, and it guts me.
“You don’t have to be.”
“Fuck, that’s just a cop-out.Truth is, I came for you, Angel.”
Her chin dips, fingers twisting in the edge of the blanket.
“Why now?”she whispers.“I wasn’t worth the trouble before.”
Fuck.Is that what she thinks?
That hits me straight in the chest.Rips something vital clean open.
“That’s not why,” I say quickly, voice breaking.“That was never why.God, Sabrina, no.”
I swallow hard.“Can I… can I sit by you?”
I don’t deserve it.I know that.
But I ask anyway.
She bites her lip, pulls the blanket tighter around herself, then nods.
Thank fuck.
I move carefully, like she’s made of glass, sitting beside her without touching her at first.I turn to face her fully because I refuse to hide—even if everything about this hurts.
“Angel, I’m so sorry I let this happen,” I say, the words tearing out of me now.“It was my job to protect you.And I failed.And the guilt just?—”
My voice cracks.“It swallowed me.”
“What are you talking about?”she says, shaking her head.“You saved me.”
“No, I put you in that situation by not doing my job.I was supposed to stop it before it ever got that far,” I say hoarsely.“I was distracted.I got sloppy.And then you were hurt because of me.”
Her eyes soften, but there’s still pain there.Confusion.Fear.
“I stayed away because I thought I was poison,” I admit.“I thought if I wasn’t near you, you’d be safer.Like somehow my feelings made you a target.”
Her breath hitches.
“I didn’t trust myself,” I go on.“Didn’t trust that wanting you wouldn’t get you killed.And instead of talking to you—like I should’ve—I ran.”
I finally risk it, laying my hand on the blanket near hers, not touching skin.Waiting.
“I was wrong,” I say quietly.“So fucking wrong.Because being away from you didn’t protect you.It just hurt you more.And it hurt me, too.But that’s all on me.”
She stares at our hands, her lashes trembling.
“Theo, you don’t get to decide what I can handle,” she whispers.
“I know,” I say immediately.“And I swear to you, I will never do that again.If you give me another chance, I promise, I will never try to make choices for you without you ever again.”
“Relationships are hard work, Theo.It won’t always be high stakes drama and romance.What then?Will you get bored?Will you walk away?”
“No!I swear, I’m not going anywhere.I won’t disappear on you.Won’t run.Won’t leave.Not unless you tell me to.”
Her fingers inch closer.Not quite touching mine.
