Ty’s silent, but I see his throat move as he swallows down whatever he was going to say and nods. He then finally,finally, takes his hand off my sketchbook so I can snatch it back.
Ty starts rattling off in Spanish, speaking too quickly for me to really distinguish the words before he nods at me and walks off.
What the fuck?
I start to follow him, but stop. This isn’t on me to fix. I didn’t do anything wrong,hedid. If he wants to fix it, he’s going to need to come to me.
If he wanted to, he would. I’ve learned that a few times over, haven’t I? And the worst, most painful part of all–Ty used to be the one who went above and beyond to show me he cares. Well,cared.
As I watch his shoulders hunch over while he stomps into the back room, the door shutting loudly behind him. I bite my lip nervously. Out of all the ways I saw this going in my head, it didn’t go like this. Him giving me a compliment and then cursing me out in Spanish before walking off.
In my fantasies, he lifted me up after I slapped him and we started kissing right there.
In my nightmares, he yelled at me, telling me to get out, that I was nothing.
But this? This…in-between? I didn’t anticipate this.
It’s weird. It's slightly unsettling. But, it’s something we’re going to work through because, fuck, I’ve made a home here and I’m not leaving it.
CHAPTER 37
She’s here.
She’s here.
I can see her clearly; see the way her eyes lock onto me, how they trace over my body and she tries to hide how I affect her. I can still read her better than anyone.
The moment that her eyes start to harden, my heart sinks. Not because I don’t know why she’s guarding herself, but because Iknow. And I agree with it.
My girl should protect herself. Especially with the fucking rug I had to pull out from under her.
I whisper her name and it stops her. Her eyes locking onto mine for a single, breathless moment, it feels like everything is okay. Like…everything is right. Just as I’m about to ask how she is, my smart chica turns to Asher and babbles on about the shop. They rib at each other, but I know how much she loves him andhe loves her. It feels like they’re long-lost siblings; separated by time, found again.
Trying not to show just how much her obvious dismissal hurts, I turn my attention to the open notebook on the counter.
At a quick glance, it’s her tattoo. The one that I saw back in high school, the one that’s on her social media. The one I love.
But as I focus closer while Asher and Roxie tease each other, I see that it’s different. Deeper and much more complex than just Athena. Straight through her midline, one half of the Greek goddess looks as if she’s hollow, ashed, broken. It’s artfully and beautifully done, but just looking at it makes my stomach knot up.
Art is subjective…but it’s also healing and emotive. It tells you what the artist is thinking or feeling. And this? This shows me just how hollow she feels inside, but she’s not letting it be visible on the outside.
What have I done?
Roxie walks over and tries to close the notebook, but I slap my hand down quickly so she can’t close it.
“I’ve seen this before,” I say softly, keeping my eyes on the drawing because if I look at her, I might break.
“Yeah.” Her voice is softer than when she was talking to Asher, more guarded. I can’t blame her. My fingers drift over the lines, the shading, the way the beauty and the pain is so clear…
“God, baby, your skills have improved so much,” I mutter. The words tumbling out of my mouth unintentionally. “This is different from the one you posted,” I say, grasping at something to say that’s not going to hurt either of us.
Her eyes widen almost comically, like she’s surprised I saw it. Her adorable mouth opens and closes once like she’s gathering her thoughts before she speaks.
“Yeah, I love that one, but this one is one that… Well, recently, it has felt right.” Her eyes flicker down to it with aheavy sigh. A sigh that tells me what I did–what I had to do–cost her something too. Even if I tried to shield her from it.
“It’s…beautiful. In the most heartbreaking way,” I say, looking at her in a way I hope shows her that I mean no offense, but that Iunderstand. Roxie’s dark eyes soften and she looks down at her notebook.
“I was trying to show duality. How even though something is beautiful on the outside, you never know what’s eating at them inside. You never know if they’re barely holding on, or if they’re already broken just because they’re smiling on the outside.”
