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“Who the fuck are you?” I asked the man through my teeth, my anger rising and my chest heaving, the rose snapping.
The man tilted his head, giving me a once–over. He was dressed in jeans and a faded T–shirt, but he was good- looking. Was this Rosette’s type?
“And who are you?” he repeated my question.
I tried to stay calm, I really did, but these days, that wasn’t my strong suit.
I grabbed him by the chest, pushing him inside with my fist raised, ready to rain down blows on him. I didn’t care who he was anymore; what I cared about was what he was doing at my woman’s house. He struggled against me, trying to get my hand off his chest, grunting like a fucking animal, but it was no use. My grip on him was firm.
My fist was about tond on his stupid face when Rosette’s voice stopped.
“Axel, no!” I paused, my fist just barely an inch from his jaw. I raised my head, my eyesnding on her wide ones. “Stop,” she whispered. “Let him go.”
Something shifted beside her and my head snapped to see that girl who always clung to Rosette by her side, her eyes also wide.
“He’s with her,” Rosette said softly as I continued to stare at her. “They came to check on me and they’re just
about to leave.”
The girl nodded and I finally looked away from her down to the guy whom I still held. He was breathing heavily, his hands raised in surrender.
I let go of him and he staggered back, adjusting his wrinkled shirt with a huff.
“Call me,” the girl said to Rosette as she walked towards me, dragging the guy by the arm and giving me a ring look as she left, shutting the door.
loosened my tie when it felt too tight, my stupid hands shaking again. I needed to find a solution to this damn shaking. It started when I began drinking, maybe that was the solution; I just needed to stop.
“Axel.”
I flinched as if her voice stung me, and the shaking intensified. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, to see what look she had in her eyes. Disgust? Fear? I really didn’t want to know.
So much for trying to be gentle. To make her see I wasn’t a monster. So much for that.
I took off my tie entirely when I felt suffocated by it, popping off a few buttons as I headed to the door.
“Axel, wait!” Rosette called, but I was already opening the door. I heard her hurried footsteps but it still didn’t prepare me for her touch.
<b>12:09 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>11 </b>
Chapter <i>57 </i>
:
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20 vouchers
She grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving, her small hand barely wrapping around it. I inhaled sharply as all the cells in my body became aware of that touch. Even though a fabric was separating our bare skin, that ce still burned, but not in a bad way. And it managed to stop my shaking.
Love… I didn’t know if it was going to save or ruin me.
I turned my head slowly and looked down at her hand, so small, so fragile, <b>so </bforting in many ways that words can’t even grasp.
I looked at her, my eyes fixed on her beautiful ones, and what I saw shocked me. I didn’t see disgust or fear; what I saw was<b>… </b>softness<b>. </b>
“Stay,” she said softly.
“I should leave,” I managed, my voice rough. “Leave London, that is.<b>” </b>
Her eyes grew wide and her hand tightened on my arm. “Why?”
<b>I </b>stared at her, my eyes moving, memorizing her features, every freckle that kissed her beautiful face, every wrinkle, the tight corner of her eyes, her frown lines, her mouth turned down in a frown.
She was damn beautiful. My own goddess.
God, this fucking hurts, and yet I crave it all the same.
“I’m bad for you,” my mouth said while my mind screamed ‘Let me <i>try </i>to be good for you.
“You don’t need me in your life, burdening you, getting angry over everything, losing control. What if I hurt you again? What if it’s even worse than thest time?”
And yet my mind cried, “Let me stay. Let me work on myself and try to take the burden off your shoulders, not add to that. Stay with me and make sure I never lose control again. Don’t let me go back to that tasteless life where you’re not there, and the sunlight never reaches me. Don’t let me go. Hold on to my arm.”
But I would be selfish if I said those words. So I swallowed them all, and they left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Rosette’s face softened, the frown lines clearing, and her lips turned upwards.
“What about what you promised?” she asked softly, her thumb now stroking my arm. I wanted to rip my shirt away so I could feel her bare touch. “Ten days? You’re just going to let that go?”
I exhaled a breath, turning to face her fully. “Rosette, you’re not-”
“No, I’m listening” she cut me off, her voice firm. “I’m listening, and <i>all </i>I’m hearing is that you’re giving up. You’re leaving. After everything You’re being a coward”
“A coward,” I repeated the words like they were foreign, looking down at her while she stared up at me with her firm gaze. “A coward… Rosette, do you know what courage it’s taking for me to stand before you? To look into your eyes? Do you know how hard I’m holding back?”
“I don’t know,” she snapped. “So stay and prove it.”
<b>12:09 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b>Sep <b>11 </b>
I took a step towards her, my chest tight, swallowing. “So you’re not letting me go?”
“I’m telling you to stay. For ten days.”
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“That means you’re not letting me go,” I pressed, taking another step towards her until there was barely any space between our bodies<b>. </b>
Her gaze softened, her eyes dropping to my lips before they looked back into my eyes. “I’m telling you to stay.”
I cupped the side of her face, my thumb caressing her cheek. “God, woman, do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“I don’t, but I’m not above knowing.”
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