𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞

37 | Aurora

Despite the fact that Jade has always presented himself as a strong individual, he wasn't. No one could possibly imagine how completely broken from the inside out he was.

Everything that happened with him in the past—his affection for Kiara, his breakup with her after dating for so long, and his brother's betrayal.

His heart became a stone as a result of everything, and he decided never to trust anyone again or let it melt.

You were the same, and now you both trust each other more than anything.

The voice in my head spoke, and it wasn't wrong.

Everybody has some kind of twisted memory that causes them to become distant from the outside world or to wear a mask that appears to be smiling, but when you take it off at the end of the day, you see that it's just an act of self-defense against this cruel world.

We are all disguised within ourselves somewhere in our lives, and we still hope that someone will be cable enough to have our trust one day for letting us be who we really are for once.

"I am sorry." As we lay together on his bed, I heard Jade's voice from behind me. It took him some time to collect himself and stop crying, but by the time he did, the night was well on its way, and we were lying in his bed together in quiet comfort, just holding each other.

I turn around to look at him. "For what?" I ask, and his hand on my waist scoots me closer to him.

"For making you uncomfortable, perhaps." He replied while his swollen, red eyes held my gaze.

I placed my hand on his cheek, and he relaxed under my touch. "Then I should be the one to apologize first, don't you think?"

He laughed. "Always with the comebacks." He rests his head gently in the crook of my neck and draws in a long breath.

"Jade?"

"Yes, Ocean?"

I nibbled on my inner cheek. "Did you talk about it to Christian or Kiara after that?" By the time I finished the question, my voice was hardly audible.

He pulls his head back a bit and looks at me. "How could I?" He mutters. "I saw everything with my own eyes. How could I ever talk about it to them after that and hurt my already bruised self-respect?"

Something about that irked me.

"Did Christian say anything?" The things he had told me before and the things I had seen while living here made it seem extremely suspect. I know I was pushing his boundaries, and I should just wait for him to tell me everything if anything was left.

Jade averts his gaze from mine. "I left the apartment after seeing all that and went to Nick." He exhales a heavy sigh. "I told everything to Nick, and he was there for me. I got calls from Adrian, but I didn't answer. Then eventually Nick told him where I was. When I came back, every time anyone tried to talk about it with me, I ignored them. But Christian never approached me, nor did I want him to."

"I think you should have talked." I spoke slowly, and he looked at me again. "Don't get upset, but he's your brother."

"I can't, Aurora." He replied. "And my brother was gone the day I found him with Kiara on his bed."

"I understand." I smiled and kissed his forehead. "I am sorry for asking too many questions."

"You can." He pecks my lips. "I'll answer them to you only, anyway."

Once again, he nestles his head in the crook of my neck and plants gentle kisses there that made my skin tingle. "Thank you, Ocean."

I tangle my fingers in his hair, rubbing them softly. "What for?"