Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 764(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 764(@200wpm)___ 611(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
“It takes a long time,” I point out. “Probably longer than you or I have been alive.”
“And I guess they'll be here when we're gone.” She tosses one of the larger stones into the water, and we both watch the ripples that extend one after another until the surface goes still again, except for the occasional bubbling from a fish swimming beneath it.
It's easier to speak with my back to her. Before I know what I'm doing, I say, “The answer is no.”
“Okay. And the goose flies at midnight,” Tatum replies with a snort. “Are we speaking in riddles now?”
“You asked me a question earlier. The answer is no. I think you're the strongest person I know.”
The touch of her hand on my shoulder makes me come to a stop. “Really?” she whispers.
I turn slowly, almost dreading what I'll find. For all I know, she's going to claw my eyes out or at least slap me for being insensitive or taunting her, which I'm sure is how she’ll choose to take what I meant with all sincerity.
All I notice at first are the tears shimmering in her eyes, turning them to the purest emerald. I could drown in their depths just as surely as I could drown in that lake. “Knowing everything you've been through?” I murmur, shaking my head. “How could anybody call you weak? I hope that's not what you think about yourself because it's untrue.”
Her chin trembles before her lips part to release a shaky breath. “I want...” She lowers her head to stare at the sandy soil beneath our feet.
“What do you want? You can tell me.” Because I know what I want, and it can't be. My hands flex, aching to cup her cheeks. To draw her close, to kiss her. Hard. Deep. For long enough that her knees buckle and she clings to me for support. I've never known a desire this deep, this overwhelming. It sits so heavy on my chest that I can barely breathe. My hands tighten into fists, shaking from the fight to hold myself back when it would be so easy to give in.
A soft, broken whimper escapes her parted lips. “I want it to all go away—all the memories. I just want them gone. How do I do that? Is it possible?” Her voice breaks, and she shudders, turning her face toward the water like that will do anything to hide the anguish she's struggling with.
I would kill him again here and now if I hadn't already done it. There she was: beautiful, intelligent, bright, and energetic. A royal pain in the ass, yeah, but she had the whole fucking world laid out in front of her. She was poised to take anything she wanted. And he turned her into this, and there is no escaping the memories because God knows I've tried to escape my own. You can only push them down for so long before something happens to bring them up, like having to confront them in your childhood home.
“Tatum... I wish...” That I could help you. Tell me how I can help you. The heart I was so sure I didn't have calls out to her, yearning to hold and protect her from the world and all its demons, but I can't force the words out.
And before I can find a way, someone calls my name. “Yo, it's him! Romero!”
Motherfucker. I want to pretend I didn't hear it, but that's impossible. She heard it, and now she looks over my shoulder while swiping her hand under her eyes to catch the emotion that overflowed in the form of reluctant tears.
“Romero!” With a soft groan, I turn around, scanning the water’s edge until I find Dex waving his arms over his head a few hundred yards from where we stand. “Hey, man! Come over!”
“Over to what?” I call back.
“We got a fire going and drinks and shit!”
“Who’s we?” I mutter. It's incredible how quickly my walls come up, and my defenses go into overdrive.
“We can't ignore them,” Tatum points out. “And really, how many people are there in the world who actually want to spend time with you?”
It's so easy to forget how broken she is inside when she gets smart with me. It could be for the best. It's easier to fight back the incomprehensible desire that keeps springing up when she's acting like a spoiled smartass.
“Yeah, sure,” I call back before reluctantly continuing the walk. The wind shifts, and I can smell the fire Dex was talking about. It's a shame I didn't smell it before now. We could have gotten out of here before being spotted.
It's more than just a couple of people. Five big tents are arranged in a circle with a fire crackling away in the center. There are multiple chairs, a couple of coolers, and ten people milling around, drinking, laughing, and having a good time.