All He Ever Lusted (Completed) [BEING REWRITTEN]

Chapter Thirty Seven - Just Hold On, We're Going Home

{All He Ever Lusted}

Chapter Thirty Seven - Just Hold On, We're Going Home

➳ STACEY'S POV

Alistar wraps his arm around me as we get into his pickup truck, a smile growing onto my face, all thoughts vanishing. This felt so right. Me and him. I never would've agreed four months ago, but a lot has changed. For better and for worse.

He releases his arm as he begins to focus on the road, while I look out the window, thoughts beginning to wander around in my head again. It was going to be a long drive back to the boarding school. It wasn’t that I really wanted to return though, I just knew it was the right thing to do. Alistar must've noticed something because he liberates one hand from the wheel and tangles his fingers with mine, his warmth immediately filling my body with comfort.

“Everything okay, baby? You seem so pensive,” Alistar says, as he gives my hand a little squeeze.

Baby.

God, how did he make a single word sound so hot and sweet at the same time?

“Just thinking about some significant things that had happened so far.”

“You mean Whitney.”

“Or that.”

Alistar doesn't talk as he turns a corner, never once loosening his grip on my hand, and he still doesn't start talking until we've driven past around five blocks or so, but all he says is, "Stop torturing yourself like that, Stacey."

“I wish I could," I sighed, "But there's just so much to sort out, so much that I don't understand. Even between us. Especially between us."

“Then we’ll sort it out now, right here, right now." Alistar says in a confirming tone.

“But there are so many questions, I can't just ask you right here. You have to concentrate on the road.” That was a lie. I just didn’t want to bombard him with questions once I had just come out the hospital. It felt wrong.

“That’s bullshit,” Alistar rolls his eyes, “What I have to concentrate on is your happiness. I need you to understand everything, I need to ease your pain once and for all. Come on Stacey, just ask. It's not like I can't live through a couple of questions.”

“I want you to be a hundred percent truthful when you're answering this, then,” I begin, "Did you ever love Whitney?"

“No,” he says without hesitation, as my beating heart seems to gain its composure back, “I never loved her. There's no doubt about that. I couldn't say I didn't appreciate her at one time though.”

“Appreciate her?”

"Stacey, you hated me so much. I actually didn't have a single person that cared about me. She was there for me and I took advantage of that," he chuckles nervously, "You know what I mean. I used her, for the food.”

“Oh,” I respond flatly, in other words, her blood. But he did appreciate her presence when I wasn't there though. So Whitney did matter to Alistar, even for a while.

He makes a tsk-tsk sound, "It was just nice to know someone was relying on me though."

"Why didn't you protect me from earlier then? If all you were searching for something that needed your protection?"

“Stacey,” Alistar gives out an exhausted laugh, "Do you seem like someone that would need someone to shelter them? I’ve been trying to protect you for the past fourteen years after I realised the mistake I made back then but you are one hard girl to please.”