“Hand your papers up front as you leave,” I told the class a second before the end-of-school bell rang out.
They all shuffled to the front of the class and out the door, but Aria had yet to move. It was like she hadn’t even heard me. I took a step forward, my dress shoes clacking against the floor. I hated when I had to wear a shirt and tie to work, but I didn’t have a choice when I wasn’t teaching PE or after-school sports.
“Aria?” I moved closer to her, now only two desks away. She didn’t look up, concentrating on her hands. I frowned, hating seeing her like this, but I had no idea what to do.
My gaze roved over her, and I halted when I spotted a red stain on her inner thigh, a couple of inches above her knee. Part of it looked dried, part fresh. But it wasn’t just any stain…
It was blood.
Had she cut herself at school? Were things really that bad?
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice deeper than I meant for it to be. I hated when she did this to herself, but there was nothing I could do about it, not now I’d destroyed everything between us. I’d had a choice between her and me, and I’d chosen me. I’d chosen myself over the girl who meant everything.
Her light-brown eyes met mine, but there was nothing behind them. No anger, no sadness…nothing.
“Aria?” I crouched down in front of her and placed one hand on her desk. Her finger twitched with my nearness, but it was the only indication she even saw me. “Baby? What did you do?”
“I…” Her voice was raw, almost as if she’d been screaming at the top of her lungs for hours. “I…”
A lump formed in my throat, and I tried to swallow past it, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t sit here and watch her fall apart and not pick up every piece to put her back together again.
“Why?” I asked, my own voice betraying me. “Why have you done this?”
“Because…” A tear fell from her eye, but she didn’t move to swipe it away. It tracked down her cheek and dripped over her chin and onto her chest. “Because I need to feel again.”
I couldn’t resist touching her when another tear fell. My hand reached out to the side of her face, and I ran my thumb over her cheek, the pads of my fingers extending into her red hair. “What do you need to feel?” I asked, almost afraid of her answer.
She stared into my eyes, tears flowing out of them like raindrops dripping down a windowpane. I wanted to stop the way she was feeling, I wanted to take it all away.
Her tongue swiped along her bottom lip. “Anything.” She hiccupped a sob. “I just want to feel anything.”
“Baby.” I pressed my forehead to hers, trying to absorb some of her pain, but it was an impossible task. “I’ve got you, Aria. I’ll always have you.”
Her throat bobbed on a swallow. “I’m scared.”
“I know, baby.” My voice was so rough, I didn’t even recognize it. “But I’m here.”
She opened her eyes, the light-brown orbs pulling me in more and more. She was hooking me in, not intent on letting me go, but I wanted to stay right here, just the two of us, in this bubble where nothing and no one could hurt her.
“I can’t do it anymore,” she whispered, so low I had a feeling she was scared to say it out loud. “I can’t do any of it anymore.”
I gripped her hand on the table. “I’m here,” I told her. “I’m here now.”
“Help me,” she pleaded, and it was those two words that had a tear slipping down my own cheek. “Help me forget all about it.”
I’d do anything to make her feel better. Anything at all. “I will,” I promised as I pulled in a deep breath. “I’ll make it all go away.” I pressed my lips to hers tentatively, scared I’d push too hard, but when she kissed me back, I knew I couldn’t live without this—without her. I’d made a mistake walking away from her. I should have chosen her. It should never have been a doubt in my mind.
My arms wrapped around her waist and I pulled her closer, kissing her softly and promising I’d never leave again, no matter what it meant.
“Cade?” a new voice asked, and all of my thoughts dissipated in an instant. My eyes flung open, and I yanked my lips away from Aria as my heart raced so fast I was sure it would leap out of my chest.
“Cade?” Willow’s voice repeated. “What…what are you doing?”
Cade & Aria’s story continues in Obey Fate!