Page 40 of The Monsters Within

Friends were different.

Ellie was my friend.

“The way she couldn’t love me.” He looked at me, tears shining in his eyes as he whispered, “Forever.”

I bit my lip. These were moments I had missed out on. These were the feelings I craved. Being loved. Being wanted. The monsters had stolen them from me. I asked them to take the bad feelings, and they took all the good ones too.

I swiped away a tear and leaned into Cash. “I would be honored to wear her cut.”

“Stand up, baby.”

He pulled me to stand between his legs and helped me put on the cut. “You are so damn beautiful,” he said. “Not just here”—he waved his hand over my face—“but here.” He rested his hand over my heart. The tears couldn’t be stopped now.

He saw me.

He saw more than the tiny frame, and the pink hair and the fake fucking smile.

He saw the fear, and the loneliness and the heartache I carried with me, and he wanted me anyway.

“I love you,” I whispered. It was all I could manage over the lump in my throat. I leaned in and kissed him. My lips moved slowly over his, and I poured every feeling I wanted to share with him into that kiss.

Not just the feelings of love, but my joy, my happiness I had found here in Diamond Creek between meeting him and finding my brother. But I also shared my fear, and I shared my loneliness and my heartache.

I gave them all to him, and he took them. His kiss felt like a promise to hold those feelings for me so I didn’t need to give them to the monsters anymore.

Pounding on the door pulled us apart.

“Come on, you two!” Ryder’s voice sounded as frustrated as I felt in that moment. Because all I wanted to do was cancel on my new friend and stay here with Cash and love him.

“We’ll finish this when we get back.”

I nodded as tears slipped down my cheeks. Cash wiped them away and kissed the trails they left behind. He quickly got dressed, and I fixed my makeup. I couldn’t very well go downstairs looking like a raccoon.

When we made it to the main room, I felt my body shrink when everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. Cash had insisted I wear my cut.

“Brother, we haven’t voted yet,” King said.

I looked around the room. Beck, Sam, and Ellie were smiling. Haizley wasn’t, but her eyes told me she was pleased. Dr. Jefferson looked concerned, but I had expected an anger that wasn’t there.

“Everyone’s here?” Cash asked.

“Except Banshee and Win.”

Cash pulled out his phone and put it on speaker. “Hey, Cash, what’s up?”

“Are you close to Banshee by chance?”

“Actually yea, he and Aspen came up to the main house for dinner.”

“Put it on speaker.”

King watched him without a word. When Banshee said he was there, Cash spoke, “We’re taking a vote.”

Chapter Twelve

Kytten

“I asked Rose to be my old lady. Any objections?”