call me Rosie! Who the hell do you think you are? How could you lie to Damon like that?”
“I’m going through a rough time at the moment, and I just, I saw you two together, you looked so happy and it pissed me off….”
“So you decided to ruin it? Do you need everyone to be just as miserable as you are? Is that it?”
“No, of course not, I just need you back. I need you. Please, Rosie, come back to me.”
I paused to catch my breath, so angry I could’ve smacked him. I asked myself a question in my head, Yard is to inch as quart is to…? Ounce. I found that logical reasoning was always a great way to stem my anger. And then, when I looked at Blake, and I mean really looked at him, I saw everything I’d been too furious to see before.
There was a welt on his right cheek, and his eyes were bloodshot. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close to check his pupils. His eyes were almost completely black, the blue irises barely perceptible. He’d fallen off the wagon. Christ.
“You’re high,” I said.
“It was a moment of weakness. I’ll get back on track tomorrow, I promise. Just give me another chance.”
“For God’s sake, Blake, another chance from me isn’t what you need. What you need is to book yourself into a rehab facility.”
He touched my face, and I reared away from his hand like it was on fire. “You can be my rehab. I’ll lose myself in you, and then I’ll be better again.”
“You were using the entire time we were together, so we both know that’s bullshit. I’m giving you a week to get your shit together. If you can’t afford rehab, then you need to get into some kind of programme with meetings. If you don’t, then I’ll have no choice but to tell Jacob.”
He looked miserable after I said it, but there seemed to be an understanding there, too. He knew I was right. The soft part of my heart wanted to comfort him, because I couldn’t see someone suffer like Blake was suffering and not want to make them feel better, especially since there was a time when I’d had feelings for him. But no, he’d done something completely reprehensible and unnecessary, and he didn’t deserve my comfort. I had to go and find Damon before he decided he was done with me forever.
When I reached his dressing room, I had a moment of complete and utter panic, drowning in anxiety. My hand was shaking as I raised it to gently knock on the door. When I got no answer, I knocked again and was met with a vitriolic growl.
“Whoever it is, fuck off,” Damon shouted, and I heard something break inside the room. I couldn’t leave. I had to see him. Summoning all my courage, I opened the door to find him standing by the dresser, a number of things knocked to the floor in temper. He looked wretched.
“Damon,” I gasped.
At the sound of my voice he turned, his eyes dark with betrayal. “Get out!”
“Damon, he was lying. Blake was….”
“I don’t want to hear his name, and I can’t see you right now. Just…get out.”
“No,” I said, standing firm. “I’m not going anywhere. What he told you was a lie, and if you know me at all, then you should know that I would never betray you. What I feel for you is real. I have nothing to hide. And if you doubted me, even for a second, then you obviously don’t feel for me what I feel for you.”
At this he strode forward, his anger bubbling right below the surface. It made my heart pound, because I was terrified of seeing him unleash. My back hit the wall as he cornered me.
“Don’t fucking….” He trailed off, struggling for words. “You’re the one who…you’re the one….” His gaze was frantic, his breathing erratic and uneven.
“I didn’t do anything. All I see is you, Damon,” I whispered. “All I see is you.”
We stared at each other for the longest time, communicating with only our eyes.
I’m hurting.
You don’t have to.
But I am.
Some of the fight went out of him, his body slumping forward but still not touching mine. I braced myself against the wall, unsure of what he was going to do next. Our eyes stayed locked for who knew how long. It felt unnatural to see his beautiful brown eyes contorted with fury, to see his sensual, masculine