Let Go

53: Closure

Aiden's P.O.V.

“We need to talk,” Jamie said. We were in his private hotel room that was turned into a replica of a hospital room. Since it was known that CEO Jamie Martin was shot and hospitalized, reporters flooded the hospital and wouldn’t leave us.

They got him transferred to his hotel room in Rivertown and his dad, in cooperation with Dr. Grayson and Rivertown Hospital transformed his room into one that accommodated him in the condition he was in, which was significantly better.

A nurse was on standby at all times, too.

“What about?”

“Can you leave us?” He told his chauffer, who doubled as his personal bodyguard.

“Are you sure?” I felt offended that he didn’t trust me with my boyfriend. I was more than protective of him.

“Yes,” they exchanged glances. “Please,”

“Alright,” he turned to the door, “I’m only a call away,”

Jamie nodded.

I was getting anxious. I tried to remember if I had taken my pills. It was difficult to keep track of anxiety pills when recently all I had been feeling was anxious. ‘We need to talk’ was never a calming statement, either.

“What’s wrong?” I asked bravely. I wanted to get it over with. Something I learned in the short time I spent with Jamie was that it was best to get into the body of it as fast as you could.

He lifted himself up with difficulty, wincing at the pain coming from the exit wound where the bullet had been removed. He patted the freshly made space with his hand for me to come sit next to him.

“Are you sure?”

“Uh huh,” He closed his eyes and waited the dip of the bed to know that I was there. He searched for my hand till he found it, despite the darkness in his head. He put it to his lips and kissed it gently.

“What’s wrong?” Worry was starting to replace my anxiousness. Jamie was a soft person, but he was being extra soft that it was melting my heart.

“I can’t do this to you,” He confessed.

“Do what?” I played dumb in hopes of giving him the space to change his mind in what he wanted to say. I knew exactly what he couldn’t do.

“I can’t continue this,” He kept his eyes closed. Too scared to meet my eyes, but his grip on my hand tightened. “I can’t live your life. No matter how hard I pretend that I can, I won’t be able to fit in this life you guys lead here. Gunshots and kidnaps and blood.”

I couldn’t blame him. He was hurt because of us. He could’ve died.

“But most importantly,” He took a deep breath, “I can’t love you like he does,”

“He doesn’t-” I tried.

“He does, Aiden. And you do, too,”

“I don’t,” I didn’t know if I were lying or not.

“How did you know who I was talking about then, huh?”

I went rigid.

When he kissed my hand again, tears stained it.

His eyes were finally open and brimmed with tears. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting any blame on you. I just want you to be happy. And you won’t find the happiness your heart seeks with me,”

“But what about your happiness?”

“I’ll find happiness. Don’t worry about me. Just, keep me in your life, will you?”

“I’ll always keep you in my life, Jamie,”

I was shedding tears myself then. He just wanted a shot at happiness, yet somehow, he missed it by miles.

On my way to leave, he stopped me. “One last thing,”

“Yes,”

“Let him know how lucky he is, and that even though he won your heart, I’d still take a bullet for him to make you happy,”

I gave Jamie one last kiss before I left.

I found Scarlet before Harken. She was preparing a sandwich for Ruby. It was kind of funny to think about it; how I was heads over heels for Scarlet once, and now she meant nothing to me.

“Aiden,” She said, “I have something to discuss with you,” She said. Suddenly, she started eating Ruby’s sandwich.

When she noticed my looks, she looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll make her another. I’m stressed,” She reached for another piece of bread from the basket. “Plus, it gives me more time to tell you about my plans,”

“What plans?”

“In light of what recently happened, I’m thinking of moving back here,” I mean, it was good for her. It didn’t concern me.

“That’s good, I guess,”

“And I wanted to ask you if you’d agree to move Ruby here, too,” That was something I hadn’t considered before. Ruby living with the Reds.

Then I thought about myself. “I can’t live without Ruby,” I stated.

“You’d live here too,” My face must’ve reflected what I thought about living with Scarlet because she immediately continued, “not with me, of course. You’ll get your own room,”

We decided to think about it more later.

I hadn’t been there long when Harken arrived. I was waiting for him at the Manor’s main gate. I approached him with heavy feet. My fists were balled at my sides as I tried to cover my sudden anger at how he ruined my life by just being in it. Everything and anything went back to Harken Red. I hated how it was all attached to him start to finish, and I had no say in it. So, I was going to prove everyone wrong.

“Aiden,” He said carefully

“Harken,” I said with spite.

“What brings you here?” He asked.

“You need to leave this town,” Was what I said.

“What?” He asked confused but not surprised.

I pushed him. “You.” I pushed him again. “Need.” Again. “To.” Again. “Leave.” Again. “This.” Again. “Town.”

“Are you drunk or something?” He said, holding my arms still.

“Isn’t this what you want to hear? Isn’t this what you want to do? Leave? Isn’t this your specialty? Leave and let go?” I started crying. “Well, there, I’m asking you to do it. Leave,” I sobbed the last word.

“I will.” He said coldly.

“Good.” I turned away and left.

A/N: short author's note. I'm fine and safe still. Thank you for the prayers and wishes. They mean a lot.

I believe there's 2 more chapters and the story will be done.

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