Read Online Breaking Hearts by Melissa Shirley - Free Book Online
Authors: Melissa Shirley
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sob as she pulled the sliding glass door open. “You can’t stay long.”
She left the door open, probably eavesdropped outside, but I didn’t care. I pulled back a curtain and held in a gasp, covering my mouth so the sound couldn’t escape. After a moment, I leaned over and pressed a kiss to the only spot on his face still visible under the gauze and bruises. “Simon.” I picked up his hand, brought it to my face, and closed my eyes, soaking in the warmth of it. “I miss you so much.” An ache started in my chest and spread down the entire rest of my body. I’d blown all my chances with him, and I shook with the recognition I might not get another. “Please, don’t die. I know things between us aren’t right, but the other day, in front of my house, all I wanted was the way it used to be. Please, fight for me. I need one more chance. There’s some stuff I have to tell you. It’s about more than you and me now. You have to wake up.”
I wanted to crawl into the bed with him and wrap myself around his body, absorb whatever kept him asleep. Instead, I leaned over to lay my head next to his. “I know you’re in there, Simon. Just come back. If not for me, do it for Keaton and Joss…and your mom. You have so many reasons to wake up. If you only knew…” I couldn’t tell him. The words wouldn’t form. I sat quietly, listening to the sounds of his breathing. The monitors and pumps plugging him full of medicine whirred and beeped. I focused on those noises to block the sound of my heart breaking into pieces.
“Oh, for the love of God, Simon. Does every single thing have to be so hard between us? Just once, can’t we do things the easy way? Open your eyes and let me know you’ll be okay.” When he didn’t move and the beeps remained steady, I huffed out a sigh. “You are so stubborn. It’s one of those things that drives me crazy about you and makes me love you so much more at the same time.”
I brought his hand to my lips, then my cheek, and held it for a second against my heart. “I love you. Don’t die.” I turned to walk out.
A few days later, Simon woke up and I breathed my first sigh of relief in a while. Later, as I lie in bed thanking God for the miracle he’d given me, the pounding on the kitchen door started. I checked the window. Keaton.
“What are you doing here?”
“I blew it with Joss.” His eyes were rimmed in red and his hair stood on its ends as though he’d shoved his hands through it a few hundred times.
“What happened?” I led him to the table and curled my body into itself as I sat next to him.
“She asked me if Kieran is mine and…” He dropped his head to rest on his forearms.
“He’s not, Keats.” Oh, Lord. What had I done?
He jerked his gaze up. “What?”
“He’s not yours.” There. I’d said it and I’d said it with enough conviction his head sat straighter on his shoulders. “I’m not proud of it, okay, but I had a couple one nighters before I left and a fling right after I got to Arizona.” His frown deepened and the explanation tumbled out. “We had a fight, and you kept saying her name. I had to get out of there so I didn’t have to listen to you anymore. I went out and got drunk and met a guy. Jesus, Keaton, I’m so sorry.” I’d decided earlier in the day to tell him, and since he’d shown up already upset, I unloaded most of the whole story.
“You lied to me?” Keaton blinked rapidly as if trying to digest the information.
I didn’t flinch at his anger. How could I? I’d kept a secret that cost him her, again.
“I didn’t lie, Keats. I just didn’t correct you, but we never had sex, not since that one time in high school, anyway.” And we never spoke of that since neither of us really enjoyed much about it. “I mean, I wished we did. I wanted to, but you were so in love with Joss that even if you could have, I don’t know if I could.”
He rolled his eyes and plopped down in the chair across from me.
“Okay. I
She left the door open, probably eavesdropped outside, but I didn’t care. I pulled back a curtain and held in a gasp, covering my mouth so the sound couldn’t escape. After a moment, I leaned over and pressed a kiss to the only spot on his face still visible under the gauze and bruises. “Simon.” I picked up his hand, brought it to my face, and closed my eyes, soaking in the warmth of it. “I miss you so much.” An ache started in my chest and spread down the entire rest of my body. I’d blown all my chances with him, and I shook with the recognition I might not get another. “Please, don’t die. I know things between us aren’t right, but the other day, in front of my house, all I wanted was the way it used to be. Please, fight for me. I need one more chance. There’s some stuff I have to tell you. It’s about more than you and me now. You have to wake up.”
I wanted to crawl into the bed with him and wrap myself around his body, absorb whatever kept him asleep. Instead, I leaned over to lay my head next to his. “I know you’re in there, Simon. Just come back. If not for me, do it for Keaton and Joss…and your mom. You have so many reasons to wake up. If you only knew…” I couldn’t tell him. The words wouldn’t form. I sat quietly, listening to the sounds of his breathing. The monitors and pumps plugging him full of medicine whirred and beeped. I focused on those noises to block the sound of my heart breaking into pieces.
“Oh, for the love of God, Simon. Does every single thing have to be so hard between us? Just once, can’t we do things the easy way? Open your eyes and let me know you’ll be okay.” When he didn’t move and the beeps remained steady, I huffed out a sigh. “You are so stubborn. It’s one of those things that drives me crazy about you and makes me love you so much more at the same time.”
I brought his hand to my lips, then my cheek, and held it for a second against my heart. “I love you. Don’t die.” I turned to walk out.
A few days later, Simon woke up and I breathed my first sigh of relief in a while. Later, as I lie in bed thanking God for the miracle he’d given me, the pounding on the kitchen door started. I checked the window. Keaton.
“What are you doing here?”
“I blew it with Joss.” His eyes were rimmed in red and his hair stood on its ends as though he’d shoved his hands through it a few hundred times.
“What happened?” I led him to the table and curled my body into itself as I sat next to him.
“She asked me if Kieran is mine and…” He dropped his head to rest on his forearms.
“He’s not, Keats.” Oh, Lord. What had I done?
He jerked his gaze up. “What?”
“He’s not yours.” There. I’d said it and I’d said it with enough conviction his head sat straighter on his shoulders. “I’m not proud of it, okay, but I had a couple one nighters before I left and a fling right after I got to Arizona.” His frown deepened and the explanation tumbled out. “We had a fight, and you kept saying her name. I had to get out of there so I didn’t have to listen to you anymore. I went out and got drunk and met a guy. Jesus, Keaton, I’m so sorry.” I’d decided earlier in the day to tell him, and since he’d shown up already upset, I unloaded most of the whole story.
“You lied to me?” Keaton blinked rapidly as if trying to digest the information.
I didn’t flinch at his anger. How could I? I’d kept a secret that cost him her, again.
“I didn’t lie, Keats. I just didn’t correct you, but we never had sex, not since that one time in high school, anyway.” And we never spoke of that since neither of us really enjoyed much about it. “I mean, I wished we did. I wanted to, but you were so in love with Joss that even if you could have, I don’t know if I could.”
He rolled his eyes and plopped down in the chair across from me.
“Okay. I
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