*** Featured on StoruesUndiscovered ***
A bittersweet story about a lover who never stayed and a love that never ended.
Disclaimer- This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of my imagination. Any resemblance is...
"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man." Jolene by Dolly Parton.
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a/n- It's a double update! Yay! There's another chapter after this, so make sure to read along.
My lower jaw felt like it was anchored to the pavement; still agape, still gasping for air. The unkind heatwaves pierced through my flesh, prompting beads of sweat to leak out of my pores and trickle down my skin. "What pet store?" my voice was barely audible. "Wha- what is he talking about, Nick?"
Nick couldn't even meet my eyes, let alone give me answers. His head was buried between his shoulders as he stared at the pavement, still muttering curse words.
Giving up on Nick, I turned my body around to face Noah and willed myself to ask again. "Where in LA? Tell me Noah, please?"
Noah's tilted head housed a pair of wide eyes under an almost-unibrow. His eyebrows were pinched together, only separated by a thin roll of skin. He looked at me warily for a brief second before he caught Nick's eyes behind my shoulder and clenched his jaw. I craned my neck and followed his vision to see Nick's pale face contort in agony.
"Let me tell her, bro." Nick finally spoke, still staring at the concrete. Cupping his neck with one of his hands, he inhaled a deep breath and looked up at us—at Noah. "She needs to hear it from me. She is my fiancé."
Noah's head jerked back a little, a fleeting wince passing through his features. He schooled his expression quickly and looked between us, before allowing Nick to have his way.
"Baby, let's go home and I'll tell you everything." Nick cooed, stretching his hand out for me to grab. I looked at it like he was handing me fire. Is he kidding me?
"How the hell does he know you?" I said, ignoring his invitation. What even was home to us? Where even was it? He wasn't welcome in my apartment and I sure as hell wasn't going to step a foot into his after he threw me out like a pile of trash. "What are you not telling me, Nick?"
"I love you so much, May. I will do everything I can to protect you. I have done everything I could to protect you." He spoke, vehemently stabbing his chest with his index finger. "You're the love of my life. The one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Everything I do, everything I did; the good, the bad, the worst was all for you. I want you to know that."
My nostrils flared, letting out residual smoke from my flaming heart. "Did you know?" I took a step toward Nick. "Did you know he was in an accident? Is that what this is about?" I risked a few more steps until I was just a breath away from his chest. "Did you?" I tilted my neck up and peered into his eyes.
In a swift motion, Nick framed my face between his hands and dropped his forehead to mine. His trembling hands shook my head as he spoke with so much passion in his voice. "I love you. I'd do anything for you. I would—"
Bringing my weak hands up to his chest, I shoved him away and freed myself from his smothering grasp. My cheeks were wet with tears I hadn't known were spilling from my eyes. Too weak to stand on my feet, I squatted on the ground and hugged my knees, allowing myself to cry it out.
