Total pages in book: 198
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 931(@200wpm)___ 745(@250wpm)___ 621(@300wpm)
Rhodes’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t run away when we get into an argument.”
“Run away?” I choked out in surprise, and honestly, more than likely astonishment.
“I should’ve talked to you last night, but . . .” Rhodes’s jaw worked, and I could see his throat bobbing from where he stood, legs planted wide. “I’ll work on that from now on. I’ll talk to you even if I’m mad. But you don’t get to leave. You don’t get to walk away.”
“I’m not leaving,” I told them in a whisper, stunned.
“No, you’re not,” he agreed, and I swore my whole life shifted.
Then I remembered what the hell had gotten us to this point and focused. “I texted you and you didn’t text me back,” I accused.
His expression went funny. “I was mad. Next time, I’ll text you back regardless.”
Next time.
He’d just said next time.
They were here. For me.
I’d been gone an hour . . . and they were here. Pissed off and hurt. I felt my lower lip start trembling at the same time my nasal cavity started to tingle. And all I could do was look at them. My words were lost, buried beneath the tidal wave of love filling my heart in that moment.
Maybe it was my lack of words that had Rhodes taking a step forward, eyebrows still knitted together, his bossy voice the roughest I’d ever heard it. “Aurora—”
“I’m sorry, Ora,” Amos stuttered, cutting his dad off. “I was mad that you’ve been helping me with my shitty songs—”
“Your songs aren’t shitty,” I managed to say weakly, mostly because all of my energy was shifted toward not crying.
He shot me a pained look. “You’ve written songs that are on TV! That asshole won awards for your music! I felt stupid. You said stuff, and I didn’t take it seriously.” He lifted his arms and let them drop. “I know you wouldn’t do something on purpose to hurt anybody’s feelings.”
I nodded at him, trying to gather my words again, but my favorite quiet teenager kept on going.
“I’m sorry I got so mad,” he said solemnly. “I just . . . you know . . . I’m sorry.” He sighed. “We don’t want you to leave. We want you to stay, don’t we, Dad? With us?”
So this was what it was like to have your heart broken for good reasons.
It was only from the sincerity in his eyes and the love I had in my heart for him that I was able to say, “I know you’re sorry, Amos, and thank you for apologizing.” I swallowed. “But I’m sorry I didn’t just tell you both. I didn’t want you to feel weird around me. I wanted you to be my friend for me. I didn’t want either of you to be disappointed. I can’t write anymore,” I admitted. “I haven’t been able to in a really long time, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I don’t mind it, actually, and I guess I was scared that you’d find out and only want me around for that . . . and I can’t. I can’t do it anymore. I can only help now, for the most part. Nothing comes to me randomly on its own like before. It ran out after I helped Yuki.
“All I have left are a few notebooks, but Kaden took all the best stuff.” I swallowed. “That’s the only reason why he and his family kept me around for so long. Because I could help them, and I couldn’t bear to go through that again.” I shook my head. “All those songs . . . they were about my mom. You’d be surprised how easily you can turn just about anything into a love song. I wrote them when I missed her the most. When my heart felt like it couldn’t keep beating much longer. The best things I ever wrote were while I was hurting, and decent stuff came while I was happy, but it’s all gone now. All of it. I don’t know if it’s ever going to come back. Like I said, I’m fine with it, but I don’t want anyone else to be let down. Especially not you two.”
Their eyes were wide.
“And I wasn’t leaving-leaving. I was only planning on spending the night. All my stuff is still over there, silly,” I admitted, looking at Rhodes too, who was staring over like I’d magically disappear. “I thought I screwed up and you both weren’t going to want me around anymore, or at least not for a while. I was sad, but I know it was my fault, that’s all.”
I pressed my lips together, feeling the tears pool in my eyes, and lifted a shoulder. “I keep losing the people I consider my family, and I don’t want to lose you guys too. I’m sorry.”