Lies That Bind (on hold temporarily)

Chapter Twenty One

S A R A

Alec sits up and cups my cheek, softly brushing his thumb over it, "Sara, she's proven the opposite. Ty wouldn't keep coming back to you if she was better. He wouldn't have risked everything he's worked for just to be with you if she was better. And I wouldn't be sitting here with you if she was better. The only thing she's proven is that she wants to be you. And I can tell you right now, she doesn't even come close."

Our eyes meet and my chest tightens, feeling the full strength of the pull he has on me.

At one point a long time ago his word became gospel. I believed everything he said, took his advice, and went to him when I needed help. I knew he wouldn't sugarcoat anything to make me feel better. Between him and Ty, Alec has always been the honest one. He tells it like it is and doesn't try to spare my feelings. And because of that I know he truly means what he just said. The hard part is allowing myself to believe it.

"There's no contest, rosy. It'll always be you," he whispers, his lips feathering over mine as he speaks.

I drape my arms over his shoulders and play with the hair on his nape. His frustratingly attractive combination of cigarettes, leather and his cologne invading my senses and transporting me back in time to when we first started seeing each other. And if I'm being honest, I've missed it. I've missed everything about him, really.

But he's not the bad boy with an attitude he portrays himself as, at least not all the time. He's fiercely protective and sweet, but if you fuck with him or someone he loves, you're in trouble. He uses sarcasm as a defense mechanism because he's been fucked over by so many people in his life that it's easier to come off as a dick than it is to show people his true self only for them to break his heart. Something I'm guilty of, but he's never held over my head. He knows that making the choice between him and Ty back then wasn't easy for me.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, nuzzling his nose against mine.

"You mainly," I whisper.

He pulls back in mock-surprise, "You're thinking of me while sitting naked on my lap? I'm honored."

"Shut up," I say, narrowing my eyes. "I was thinking about our history together and how much I've missed you," I admit, continuing to run my fingers through his hair. "But there's one thing I've never said to you."

"What's that?" he smiles.

"I'm sorry," I breathe, feeling a weight lift from my chest.

His eyes light up, curiosity piqued, "Sorry for what?"

"Everything," I huff, holding back a laugh. It's honestly laughable how many apologies I actually owe him. "I feel like you always got the short end of the stick when it came to us and that wasn't fair. I treated you like you were second fiddle to Ty when you weren't. You were, and are, just as important to me. So I'm sorry for ever making you think that I didn't care or that I didn't love you, because I did, and I do. And I know it probably doesn't mean anything now, but choosing him over you was the hardest thing I've ever done."

We stare into each other's eyes for a moment, his face softening as the seconds pass. "You didn't need to apologize," he says softly, gripping the back of my neck. "And for what it's worth, I don't blame you for choosing him."

"What if it was the wrong choice? What if I've wasted the last almost ten years being his side piece when I could have been with you?"

He smiles and tears his eyes away from mine for a second, "It wasn't the wrong choice," he admits. "You followed your heart, I can't fault you for that," he says, letting his eyes find mine again.