Page 117 of Barron's Second Chance
Eden's mouth trembled as she met his own tortured eyes with hers. "I like what we are now," she quietly said.
He let out a choked breath at her words.
"Aren't you happy with how things are?" Her voice was heartbroken as she brushed away an errant tear.
No.
But this was the bed he made. He finally had his girl back after a series of stupid decisions and impulses on his part. He was happy with whatever scraps she wanted to feed him.
But he was a greedy bastard. The scraps were only abating his hunger. He would always have a specific appetite when it came to Eden, and he needed a full three-course meal of her to be able to breathe.
Instead of answering, he took a breath as he summoned the courage to ask his next question. "Do you see a pathway to forgiveness? To us forging a new relationship outside of a casual coupling?"
He watched as she took a few deep, slow breaths. Tears fell faster than she could brush away, and he fought the urge to gather her into his arms. To rock her back and forth in comfort and whisper words of love and affirmations. With each deep breath she took, one was stolen from him. He could feel a rising panic form as a sense of foreboding came over him.
"I don't know," she whispered. "Pleasedon't push this."
Barron nodded slowly as tears pressed into the back of his eyes. He had to get out of here before he broke down.
"Where are you going?" Eden cried as he retrieved his keys from the coffee table. "Please don't go," she pleaded.
"I-I'm sorry, baby," he croaked as he turned towards the door. "I love you. That will never change. But I just need a moment." He kept his back turned. "Just a moment. Then I'll come back."
"Barron," she sobbed, watching on helplessly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." He tried to keep his voice calm but the slight rattle of the keys in his hand gave him away. "Never apologize for how you feel. I'm the one that's sorry for pushing you. I should've waited until you were ready." He opened the door without waiting for a reply, trying to drown out the gentle crying coming from her. "I'll be back," he croaked before stepping outside and fumbling to close the door.
The cold in the air should've chilled him to the bone, but his numb body barely felt it. With his heart in his throat and a burning sensation in his eyes, Barron walked on shaky legs to his car.
26
Revelations
Thesoundofacar approaching the house sprang Eden to her front window. She took a discreet peek through the curtain, hoping and praying that it was Barron finally coming back to her. She hadn't heard from him since she stood there like an idiot, watching numbly as he jerkily climbed into his vehicle and drove off.
Eden blinked as bright headlights shined at the house, but her heart sank as she watched it reverse back to perform a three-point turn before driving away.
Not Barron.
She slumped heavily back on her couch, cursing herself for the hundredth time for not doing more to stop Barron from leaving. True, she was taken aback by his line of questioning; but she wasn’t surprised. For weeks he had been angling for an opening to discuss their burgeoning relationship. And for weeks, Eden used their uncontrollable passion to her advantage.
She felt so ashamed when he called her out on her aversion tactics, letting her know that he knew exactly what she was doing. Whenever the topic of her evolving feelings for Barron popped up, she always felt like a deer in headlights. Her emotions just seized at the barest turn of conversation towards 'what happens next.'
But after seeing the hurt on Barron's face - knowing that he overheard her deny their relationship to her dad - Eden wished she had just addressed it sooner. Because the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. And by the devastation on Barron's face, he was all types of crushed. She couldn't blame him for leaving.
So after she stopped crying and pulled herself together, Eden texted him.
Are you okay?
Please come back so we can talk.
When he didn't respond, she tried calling, but his phone took her straight to voicemail. Barronneverturned his phone off in all the months they were dating. And healwaysresponded to her texts within fifteen minutes of her sending him a message. Worry churned inside her as she paced her living room floor while taking sporadic peeks out her front window.
It was now coming on three hours since she tried to contact him. She had an awful feeling that he wasn't coming back tonight.
Worrying her bottom lip, Eden nervously fingered the necklace Barron had gifted her a few weeks ago. It was a simple yellow gold chain with a small diamond encrusted initial "E." He had it sent to her apartment from a local jeweler. It was precisely her taste - plain, understated, and inexpensive. A token of his love for her, the card read.
"Do you see a pathway to forgiveness?"
