Page 90 of Loving Bad

"Hey," Matthew greeted me as Jordan released me. His eyes were guarded and I knew why. The sight of me was a lot to take in. 

"It's good to see you," I said, trying to sound calm, but my voice was hoarse with emotion. I'd been so worried about him being left unconscious in the car after the accident.

"I'm fine," he assured me.

"We were so worried..." Jordan revealed, her voice breaking on the last word.

"I'm okay," I tried to reassure her as I looked to her.

"I still can't believe it was Eric," Matthew said, shaking his head.

None of us had any inkling that Eric was the unstable stalker after me.

"It's over," I said with finality in my voice that made Matthew and Jordan look at each other.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Matthew said.

I gave him a questioning look and then I realized that he was feeling guilty that he hadn't been able to save me.

"It wasn't your fault," I reassured him, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Eric is mentally unstable and if you hadn't been unconscious, he would’ve killed you."

Despite my words, Matthew looked unconvinced.

"What happened to me wasn't anybody's fault and I don't want anyone to feel guilty," I stated firmly.

He lifted his gaze to mine and gave me a brief nod.  I gave him an encouraging smile and he smiled back.

"Are you going to be leaving now?" I asked. I'd grown close to Matthew; he hadn't just been my bodyguard, he'd become my friend.

"I'm going to stay a little while longer," he told me. "At least until Eric is firmly locked up for life."

I pressed my lips together. I didn't like the way I felt when I heard his name. To Matthew it was just a name, but to me it held all the horrors I'd managed to escape.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, seeing the effect it had on me.

"It's okay. I need to work through it," I replied with a shrug.

"We’d better go," Jordan interrupted.

I gave her one last hug before she left behind Matthew. I was nervous and I touched a hand to my face. 

The moment he walked in, I felt my stomach flip at the sight of him.  His eyes fixed on my face and I saw his jaw tighten. He looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes. He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans as he took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Hi," I said, trying to sound as normal as possible. It was the first time I'd seen him since he'd walked out on me. I couldn't help feeling self-conscious of my injuries under his gaze.

"Hi," he said, taking another step closer. It was rare to see him like this. Normally he was confident and so sure of himself but now he looked nervous.

"Tay..."

"It's okay," I reassured him. "I'll be fine."

I didn't even believe what I'd just said. There was no way I was fine after what had happened to me, but I needed him to believe I was okay.

I shrugged and looked down at my hands. It was easier not to look at him because when I did I remembered how he'd told me that we were over and then he'd left. He hadn't even given me a chance to explain.

I knew why he was here. It wasn't because nearly losing me had made him realize that he was in love with me—that crap only happened in sappy romance books and movies. The reality was that he felt guilty. Eric had been his roommate, someone he knew. I think he also carried more guilt because it had happened after he'd broken my heart and left town.

"The doctors say everything will heal," I stated, lifting my eyes to see the emotion on his face.  He ran a hand through his hair.