Page 70 of Make Me Bleed

I guess it just comes down to whether I trust him or not, and I simply do not know if I do.

I barely know him after so long apart. And the only way to know is to be around him.

But I can’t be around him and not want him.

Fuck.

What have I gotten myself into?

CHAPTER 17

PERIS

“Don’t lethim do this to you, Peris,” Gabe’s voice echoes through the door.

“You don’t know shit!” I shout back, bottle dangling from my fingertips. I haven’t touched it yet, butfuckdo I want to. I want to blur and muddle and make it all just…disappear.The very thought of another man touching him makes mesick.

But… I also don’t want to forget. I want this anger, this pain. This burning, aching sensation that has taken over my entire body.

I feel alive for the first time in years, and it’s unlike anything I remember.

Of course, it’s because of him.

He comes traipsing back into my life, wreaks his fucking havoc, and then dips just when it gets hard. Typical Abel shit.

Only this time, I’m not letting him go. I know where he is this time, and Irefuse.

The knocking sounds again, and I growl loudly and yank the door open. I shove the bottle into Gabe’s chest. “There, I didn’t fucking drink any. You happy?”

He stares down at the bottle he’s now clutching, then looks back up at me. “Yes, actually. Thank you.”

“You’re fucking welcome,” I snark back sarcastically. “Anything else you need?” I add just as I start to close the door in his face.

“Your mom’s on her way,” he adds quietly with a wince, and I tense.

“Why?...”

“Because I was worried.” He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, and I furrow my brows.

“Why the hell are you acting so strange again? What did you do, Gabriel? You’re a terrible liar, you know.” I add the words with a snap and cross my arms over my chest.

Gabe huffs out a long sigh and crosses his arms, tucking the bottle against his chest. “Abel told me he called you,” he says eventually. I freeze.

“That little…”Motherfucker.I can’t finish my sentence because my throat has closed off unexpectedly, and it’s suddenly pretty hard to breathe.

“Peris, take a breath. It’s okay.”

“It’s not fuckingokay,Gabriel. None of this is.” I yank my fingers through my hair and pull on the strands.

“No. It’s not. But that’s why Elise is on the way. Maybe there’s something she can do…”

“There’s nothing she can do. There’s no proof it’s him, Gabe. And it’s certainly not the first time he’s called.”

“What?” Gabe exclaims, dark eyes shooting wide open.

“Well, what the hell was I gonna do about it, anyway?” I lean back against the wall, feeling defensive at his outburst.

“I don’t fucking know, but you should have said something! How long has this been going on for?” he asks accusingly, and I don’t like that.