“Zach, stop,” he said and grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward him. “You can’t go. You can’t run. It’s not safe.”
“It’s not safe here. Not while he’s around causing mayhem to everyone I know.”
Dare shook his head.
“He’s not. He’s just playing his little game trying to get you to go to him.”
“And it’s working, so it’s better I leave now before he ruins all your lives.”
I tried to walk past him, to get away from his grip, anything to get me moving again, but he held me there, in front of him, pleading with his eyes.
“Let me go,” I said.
“No. You’re only going to hurt yourself. What are you going to do if he finds you? You can’t keep running.”
“Why do you care?” I shouted.
I’d had enough. I’d had enough of all of this. Of the sheltering, of the shielding, of the infantilizing. I’d survived this long. I’d survive Victor again.
Dare’s grip loosened and I pulled myself back.
“Why do you care, huh? You got your fix of me. Because that was all I was, wasn’t I? I was here and available and weak. Why the hell would I stay when you’re about to kick me out anyway?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted to talk about? To tell me I can’t stay here any longer because it’s too awkward being around me after we had sex? Well, this is your chance to do it the easy way. I’m leaving before you can kick me to the curb.”
Dare’s expression hardened and he tried reaching for me again.
“That’s…I wouldn’t ever do that to you.”
I laughed in his face and put my hand up to block him from getting any closer.
“I…I’m sorry, Zach. I didn’t mean to be like that. To treat you that way. Can you please?—”
“No! Just let me go. I want to get my stuff and leave. Let me through. Just stop. Stop talking,” I started and somehow I ended up in his arms again, mumbling to myself and losing my resolve with every passing second.
The tighter he held me, the more I breathed. The more I breathed, the more fragile I felt. The more fragile I felt, the easier the tears that formed in my eyes fell.
“Just let me go,” I cried and kept crying and he put his hand to the back of my head and shushed me, rocked me back and forth and held me as if I was his and he was mine.
“I’m sorry for freezing you out. I wanted to talk. To explain. To discuss…us. I wasn’t going to kick you out. I wasn’t going to let you go. At least, not before I got the chance to tell you how sorry I am.”
I looked up at him and took a deep breath.
“Okay. Let’s…let’s talk.”
He nodded and took me to his bedroom. He sat at the foot of the bed and invited me to sit next to him.
“You know about my ex?—”
“Wyatt, yeah,” I said and he flinched.
“What?” he asked. “H-how do you know?”
“I…I kinda guessed when he stopped by while you were sick and was acting…well, he was acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend. Especially after I came into your bedroom to get my phone and he practically stormed out.”
“Oh,” Dare said. “I’m sorry.”
