Page 63 of Forever Mine
“Julien is the love of my life, and nothing will ever change that.”
David’s face falls. “I want you—” He pauses.
“That’s never going to happen.”
“—to be happy,” he finishes.
“I am happy.”
His demeanor hardens. “I care about you, Elijah, and I’m not going to give you bullshit smiles and stay quiet when I think you’re making a big fucking mistake.”
Trying to calm my anger, I mentally count to five. “Loving Julien, being with Julien… wanting to spend my life with Julien are not mistakes. And I resent that you would say that, let alone think it. You’re myfriend, David. I’m sorry if that’s not enough for you.”
The words hang between us, thick and viscous like tar.
Screw this. I’ve been clear about my boundaries, and he just overstepped them in a big fucking way.
I toss a twenty on the table to cover my food and tip. “I’ll see you around.”
“Elijah, don’t go. I’m sorry.”
I detour toward the men’s restroom, needing to splash some water over my flushed face and cool down. I can’t show up at Julien’s upset. He’ll take one look at me and immediately know something’s wrong.
The motion sensor activates the fluorescent strip lights as soon as I push the door to the men’s room open, but something makes me hesitate and not go inside. My feet refuse to move. They remain glued to the floor, stuck in imaginary cement. The more I try to force my body into motion, the more it fights me.
Clammy beads of sweat pop along my forehead. My heart rate spikes without warning. And my chest constricts painfully, stealing my breath.
What’s happening?
A sudden and overwhelming panic floods my bloodstream when footsteps echo down the hallway.
No.
No.
Not again.
Pain blooms like wildfire when my attacker kicks at my right knee, and I crash to the dirty concrete floor when my leg buckles under me. In my hazy periphery, I see his tennis shoe rear back, and I throw up my arms to shield my face. Pain explodes in my stomach at the force of his kick. Curled into a ball, choking gags rack my body.
Oh god. Oh god.
My moans for help are nothing more than sobbed whimpers. Black coats my vision as darkness crept closer… closer. I hurt so bad. Everything hurts so bad.
Bending down, the guy fists my hair in a crushing grip and yanks my head up, but I can’t see him through the swelling that occludes my vision.
I want Julien. His strong arms around me. Safe. Warm. Loved. He’ll hold me and take the pain away. Think about Julien.
Julien.
Julien.
“Marshall says hi.”
Chapter Eighteen
JULIEN
“Go. I’ll park the car,”Ryder says as soon as he pulls up to Belly’s.
