No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Chapter 303



"Not feeling well?" Dustin walked in, holding a bouquet, his face etched with concern.

Lying down at this moment seemed inappropriate. Grasping the bedrail, I attempted to sit up, but Dustin pressed gently against my shoulder. "Don't get up."

"I'm okay," I insisted, trying to sit up anyway.

Lying before Ernest was never awkward, making him quite different from other men to me.

Dustin's gaze fixed on my face. "What happened?"

How could I tell him the shock from my parents' situation had got to me?

It wasn't that I couldn't say it, but it was more that I didn't want to. For some reason, I'd been keeping my words to a minimum, avoiding wasting them on things I could easily brush off.

"Just a little faint from low blood sugar," I lied.

Dustin seemed skeptical, eyeing me closely before I quickly changed the subject, "What did you want to talk about?"

Dustin hesitated, then offered a placating falsehood, "Nothing much."

it out if you've got something to say. Beating around the bush

wait until you're feeling better," Dustin replied,

as more than a brotherly

"Not telling me makes me more anxious, which won't

somewhat helpless. "Fine, I'll tell

"Rad had a fall-out with my parents. You

haven't,"

saw Conrad today, and he didn't

mom kicked Haley out of one of Rad's houses, which set Rad off. My dad hit him and talked of cutting him off, even threatening to kick him out of the

was only aware of the first part. The

felt it would end badly, but she wouldn't

trying to say by telling me all this?" I knew Dustin had

if

smile. "You want me

not fair to drag you into this, but my parents listen to you,

because of me, right?" I finished

I meant," Dustin tried

supposed to be Conrad's gift to me, but he let Haley stay there instead. That's also why Conrad and I broke up,

held a

flinching. "But I've never brought this up with your

thing's for sure..."