Chapter 24 ~ For as long as it takes
Chapter 24 - For as long as it takes
Alex
"You're not paying attention to me."
Leah's voice cuts through the silence.
I don't respond. Just swirl the amber
liquid in my glass, watching the way the light catches it.
"You're distracted," she presses. "Is everything okay?"
I take a slow breath. Exhale.
"Fine."
One word. That's all she gets.
She sighs and picks up a second
glass, pouring a drink before handing it to me. I don't move to take it.
Because she touched it.
The thought sends an uncomfortable itch crawling up my spine. My fingers twitch, resisting the urge to shove it away.
She notices my hesitation, her lips parting slightly before she sets the glass down on the
table instead. I don't miss the flicker of pain concealed in her eyes.
I reach for the bottle and pour myself a new drink.
One untouched.
One clean.
Leah crosses her arms. "Still the same, huh?"
I don't answer.
She sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sits next to me and
tries to hook her arm into mine but thinks twice about it.
Smart choice.
"I'm glad I got to start over, Alex. It used to hurt when they called me the daughter of a homewrecker. Now I'm a good doctor and
that has seemed to erase some of the hatred from people's hearts."
Her voice wobbles, eyes filling with tears as she looks at me. "But
I can see you struggling, is it because of my family that you don't want to marry me?."
Three
attack and Leah,
helped me.
We clicked
together. Honestly, her family's reputation wasn't that great but I didn't give a shit about that. I liked her and I wasn't going to shame her for her
introduced her to my family, they
didn't stop me. I was going to
way to be
weakness and didn't
It was perfect.
announced my intention to my family.
when Nana had
to break up with Leah temporarily so she could be nursed back
they had to leave
to reunite
the blind dates
with
Athena Dawson.
I'd
We kept this
to be a simple plan. But
has gotten very complicated.
her. "My grandmother is still sick, Leah.
divorced her. You're the one who
make a deal with Athena so I could
so as not to
still not enough?"
I'm sorry. I
time. I love you
use that word so many times but I can't seem to soak in it. I
dreams of it. And maybe I
bitterness of it lingering
not the
way
a shaky breath, and I look at her-really look at her-and for the
a while, I'm aware of how much
how much we've
I'm too far gone to give her the life she dreams of. "How's your heart? You haven't had it checked in
not as bad as
just two weeks
enough." I cut
flinches, her lips pressing together as she looks down at her hands. I can feel the tension
and
2/4
with her. Not now.
already so complicated.
at me, and I can't help but feel like I'm drowning in
looks at me with those hopeful eyes,
breaking something inside
"I'm just
she says quietly, her voice trembling.
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