Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
anyone can see ❞
CLAY SIGHED AS he slipped on his jacket. it was raining outside, but he didn't care. he needed to go see nadia. it had been three days since she left and hadn't contacted him since. he planned on going to the bookstore where she worked, as she had sent him her schedule. clay needed to make sure she was okay.
she had five minutes left in her shift, so he could make it just in time.
as his hand was on the doorknob, there was a knock. he pulled the door open. his breath caught in his throat. he could feel his heartbeat in his ears and neck and cheeks.
"nadia?"
"hi, clay." her voice stood out among the rain beating down on the pavement despite it being quiet and hesitant. a sense of deja vu washed over the pair. it mimicked the exact scenario that had brought them together a few months ago. "can i come in?"
instead of answering, he just moved out of the way. her shoes slightly squeaked against the floor causing them both to cringe. the backpack she was holding fell to the ground, leaning against the wall.
"where have you been?" clay asked. he was nervous, hands fidgeting. he held out his hand to motion that they should sit down, so they did. eye contact was avoided as they sat across from each other at the dining room table.
"that night i stayed at your parent's house. then drove to my sisters house after work." a moment of shock washed across his features but it left just as quickly as it came. he couldn't decipher what she was feeling.
"why are you back early from work?"
"it was slow during my shift so jesse let me go early."
silence fell over them. if nadia was about to say something, she wasn't showing it. her bottom lip was between her teeth as she stared at her feet. looking him in the eye would be too much. neither of them could handle it.
"why'd you leave?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"clay, you yelled at me. you— you called me helpless and said i'm the reason you have commitment issues. that i'm the reason why people treat me the way that they do." nadia let out in one breath. "i know i shouldn't run away anymore but you were acting like....."
the name he had been dreading. of course he has thought about it. when he was talking to nick it came up. the name even haunted him in his sleeping, teasing and poking fun at how they were exactly alike.
"axel?" clay said finally. comparing himself to the person he hated wasn't something he wanted to do but it wasn't unlike his restless nights of sleep where he ran over ever little detail from that night.
"clay, no! you're not—"
"i'm not him? if i wasn't him you wouldn't have been scared. i wouldn't have yelled or said the shit i did." his voice broke. shaking hands reached up into his hair. "i did it after i promised i would do everything i could to prove that i'm better now." his hands fell to the table quietly. his knuckles were white as he balled them into a fist.
before either of them knew what was happening, nadia rested her hand on his. the size difference was noticeable as her fingers overlapped his. her hand was cold, his giving the much needed warmth. when he attempted to moved away, she grabbed his wrist lightly, only enough to keep his hand on the table. clay finally relaxed a little. he let his fist unravel. her fingers found themselves interlaced with his, which was slightly awkward due to their positioning.
"you need to fix your temper, but that doesn't mean i won't be here to help you with that." she finally spoke. hesitantly, she continued. "and i need to get better at not running away, so, if you'll have me, we can work together to make... this... work."
"nadia, i can't let you do this... you didn't even do anything wrong and i snapped at you. i said things i've never even though about you." nadia felt his hand slipping from hers.
"this doesn't mean i'm completely forgiving you for that, but i'm willing to give you one last chance, clay. i lo— like you a lot, in so many ways. i wouldn't be able to forgive myself if i didn't let us at least try and work this out."
there was a battle going on inside of clay's mind and his mouth moved quicker than his thoughts.
"how many times have you told yourself you'd give me one last chance?" he didn't even think over what he said before it hit the air.
nadia stopped. she withdrew her hand from him completely. looking up at him, away from where their hands had been, it took her a second to think of the right thing to say.
"enough for me to know that i shouldn't be saying it now." she admitted. it hurt her to say out loud, but she needed to be honest with him. "still, you mean just about everything to me. so, if you'll have me back, i'm willing to stay."
"okay." clay paused. was he really about to let her give him another chance? after he'd ruined whatever trust she had for him so many times? it was hard to believe that she could even love him, but then again, that could've changed since that night. what if nick was lying about it just to make him feel better? "if you ever, ever want to or need to leave, don't think about me. just think about you. i can't stand hurting you any more." he paused. "truth be told, i haven't been able to stand it for a while now."
"clay that's not necessary—"
"promise me." when she didn't make eye contact with his pinky, which he was holding out, he sighed. "please, nadia."
"i promise."
when they were in seventh grade they made a rule to never break a pinky promise and so far they had stuck to it. she hooked their hands and let out the breathe she had been holding.
❝ in anyone else
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
but you ❞
authors note wooooo another chapter !!! pretty pog if you ask me. anyways, hope you enjoyed ! 3 more chapters after this ahah— lmk what you thought 😩
