Read Online Veil of Scars by J. R. Gray - Free Book Online

crossed over his chest, and his hair was standing up from sleep.
    I dropped my gaze to the floor. "Sorry."
    "What the fuck? You scared the fuck outta me and all you have to say is sorry?" His eyes flashed with anger like I had seen so many times at home.
    I looked back up at him, wrapping my arms around my stomach. "What do you want me to say?"
    "I want you to say that one night hasn't made me lose my best friend. I want you to tell me that you're not going to disappear out of our lives. I fucking need you, too." His voice grew louder with each word he uttered.
    "How do you expect me to do that, Sam? How do you expect me to look Charlie in the eyes when I'm in love with you? That night only sealed it for me. It made me see how much I want to be with you and that it's never going to happen." My voice hitched. "But worse than that, I feel like a horrible, shitty friend because I love her, too. Lower than low.” I clenched my hands into fists. “Charlie has always stood up for me. She’s been amazing for the last four years, and I’m a terrible fucking person." Tears welled up in my eyes.
    "Shit, Steve..." He reached out for me, but I shrugged him off and stalked back towards my room. He grabbed me hard, his fingers digging into my arm. I flashed back to late nights and a place far away, another’s hands on me, and I froze. I curled into myself as the pain from his fingers moved through my body. Screaming, broken glass, and the smell of cheap beer spun around me.
    "Don't. Please, don’t." I whimpered, pulling further into myself to get away from the touch.
    His hand snapped back, and I sprinted for my bedroom, clutching the towel that was starting to loosen at my hips. I tried to slam the door, but Sam caught it, forcing it open.
    I had regained myself enough to know it was him and not my father. "Just go." I kept my back turned and hung my head, letting my long hair fall over my face like a shield.
    His fingers brushed down my spine. "I won’t go until we talk. You owe me that much."
    My grip tightened around the towel until my knuckles were white. "Talk then."
    "I love you, too." He wrapped a strong arm around my chest, and I sagged back into him.
    My heart swelled, and my stomach dropped at the same time. “That's the best thing I’ve ever heard you say, but now I fucking feel worse."
    He kissed the back of my neck, and I melted. It was so fucking wrong. His girlfriend trusted him, us, and here I was turning into mush in his hands while she was away. I couldn't feel any more worthless. I wanted to write “back-stabber” on my chest and burn myself at the stake in the yard.
    "I can't, Sam. I cannot do this to her." It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to say.
    "I talked to Charlie."
    I was hit with overwhelming sadness. I bit down on my lip. "Fuck, don't break up with her. You two are the real thing. I even saw it when we were all together. You may love me, but you worship her." I shook my head, fighting his hold on me. I hated myself, and it just kept getting worse. I should have never said anything.
    "I do worship her, but I also love you. I tell her everything. I explained it all to her..."
    "Fuck, she must hate me," I cut him off. Hot tears ran down my face, and I struggled for a deep breath. No wonder she'd gone home for the weekend.
    "Stop." His voice was harsh. He spun me around and gripped my shoulders tightly, pressing his finger tips into my muscle. "Will you fucking listen to me?"
    I silenced the thoughts in my head. "Okay." I forced myself to look him in the eyes.
    "Charlie loves you as much as I do."
    I stared at him opened mouthed. “I know she loves me but not like that.” Anymore. I knew she’d had a crush on me first, but it had turned into a friend sort of love.
    “You’re wrong. We had a long talk. She understands it. You are everything to us, and the sex just made us both realize it. She was scared to tell me how she felt, and she was so relieved when I told her I loved you, too."
    “Wait,