Page 94 of This Blood That Binds Us

A small wrinkle separated his brows, and he spoke slowly, his eyes distant. “I feel . . . kinda weird . . . foggy.”

“We have to do something. I’m serious. We’re getting you help.”

I tried to hide the fear from my voice, but I knew I couldn’t hide it from my face. I never contemplated the burden Aaron had to bear. He had a side he didn’t want me to see. A side he couldn’t keep from bubbling to the surface. It was eating him alive, and that made me unbelievably angry.

There was something different about being angered for the protection of others. At fifteen, the embers of anger were red-hot in the pit of my stomach. Longing for malice and revenge. This kind was different. It was a fire that lit up my entire body, which made me want to run to get help. It sprung my feet into action. I’d keep pushing for whatever it took to get him better.

“I just want it to stop,” he said.

I gripped his shoulders to steady him. Our bodies pressed together. “Come on. Let’s just go down there and tell your brothers everything.”

“No.” His voice grew cold again. “We’re not doing that.”

“Why not?”

“We just aren’t.” He tried to divert his gaze, but I held him in place.

“What did William say to you?”

He stared at me, lips pressed together. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “Kim, I can’t...”

His voice softened. Then he was the man I knew again. Soft, enticing smile and rich, warm brown eyes. Less than a day without it, and it felt like a lifetime. His cute, fluffy hair and blushing cheeks were a sight to see.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. “It’s going to be okay. I promise we’ll figure this out. You don’t have to do this alone.”

He hesitated, his arms pinned to his sides. His entire body felt like a rock, but after a few seconds, he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head on my shoulder.

He melted into me, and I nuzzled into his neck. My chest pressed firmly against his, and the world went silent. His heartbeat stayed in a steady rhythm with mine.

In the shadow of the trees, it was just the two of us. Aaron was just like me. Alone in the darkness, trying to find his place inour new world. From the very beginning, that’s who we were. We were the same in so many ways I’d never seen before.

No matter the consequences, I was going to stick it through till the end. Even if allowing myself to feel his skin on my skin felt like the most comforting, perfect thing in the world, and it would soon be a distant memory. It would be worth it.

Soon, another splash sounded below, and Chelsea’s voice was close. “Come on, Aaron, Presley was just—”

I pushed away from Aaron, but it was too late. Chelsea was already staring at us with her big blue eyes.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” I blurted.

“I knew it. I knew something was going on.” She snarled. “Just friendsmy ass.”

She bolted for the cliffside, and we followed.

“Chelsea, wait!” I said, my voice echoing in the trees.

She turned on Aaron. “Here, you had me fooled. You like to play like the cute, innocent type. But you’re just like the rest of them. Some loser who has nothing better to do than to get drunk and fuck with women and their feelings.”

His eyes darkened, and his voice cut through the warm spring air with a cold shill. “Maybe you were the delusional one. Why would I like someone like you? There is nothing special about you. You’re controlling, and you can’t even take a hint. I never wanted you around. I just felt sorry for you.”

Chelsea’s face fell, her mouth agape. She was completely unguarded, astonished at the verbal assault. Her pain washed over me like fresh gasoline, igniting the guilt in the pit of my stomach. She was an innocent bystander left in the wake of our mess.

“Aaron, stop,” I said.

He ignored me. His gaze searing into hers. He cast a shadow over her petite frame. “It’s sad. All the things you do for myattention. Pathetic. Little. Girl.” His lips curled into a smile. He was enjoying her pain.

If I hadn’t seen him say the words, I never would have believed they were capable of coming out of his mouth.

With lips trembling, she held her head high. “Fuck you.”