The Sweetest Fruit ( Tomboy 🏳️‍🌈Love Story )

31. They always leave

MJ

I bit my lip at the slip of the tongue, but the words had felt so right, my heart leaping in a mixture of fear and exhilaration. I knew Sonia had heard me, though she looked unsure. Her body went rigid against mine.

“What did you say?” she asked, her voice nervous yet tinged with hope. Her gaze was expectant, almost pleading, but my nerves strangled the words in my throat.

“I love it,” I said hurriedly, clutching the necklace she had given me.

Disappointment flickered across her face before she masked it with a smile, fragile and forced. “I’m so glad,” she murmured, but her tone betrayed her.

My chest tightened, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. It had been ten years since I’d last said those words to anyone, and the weight of them was almost suffocating. Could I truly love Sonia?

I traced gentle circles on her back as she rested her head on my chest, my thoughts a whirlwind.

The question gnawed at me: Do I really love her?

I kissed her then, slowly, savoring the faint taste of mango lingering on her breath. She responded eagerly, her movements conveying a hunger for more, but I just wanted to lose myself in the kiss, nothing more.

She began trailing kisses along my jawline, down to my neck, her lips warm and insistent.

“Can we just kiss?” I asked softly, hoping she’d understand. I wanted her—God, I wanted her—but the emotions swirling inside me left me drained, too vulnerable.

She pulled back slightly, hurt flashing in her eyes. “Okay,” she said, her voice small.

I hated that I kept hurting her, making her feel rejected.

“I’ll just go to the bathroom,” she said, climbing off me before I could respond. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I reached for the crescent moon pendant around my neck, a bittersweet smile forming on my lips.

“I love you to the moon and back,” she’d said when she gave it to me. That promise had become my lifeline, her love my only light in the darkness I carried.

She was my light. I was the shadow clinging to her, the darkness that completed her. We were opposite halves of the same whole.

I touched the delicate S engraved on the pendant, my chest tightening. How did I get here? How did I fall so deeply for someone who wasn’t truly mine?

Blinking back tears, I forced the thoughts away. She was my infinity, my forever, the one person I would always love. She would forgive me for holding back, and we’d find our way to happiness.

But still, doubt gnawed at me. Fuuccck, I thought bitterly. I’m whipped. I felt like a lovesick puppy, helpless and desperate. I could still taste her on my lips, her absence already suffocating me.

The door creaked open, and Sonia stepped back into the room. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Do you want me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Her question hit me like a punch to the gut. “I’m just not in the mood for sex,” I replied, trying to deflect, though even I could hear how wrong the words sounded.

“No, I don’t mean that,” she said, her voice breaking. “I mean… do you want me? Me, MJ. All of me.”

“Yes,” I said quickly, but her expression didn’t soften.

“Then what is this?” she asked, motioning between us. “One moment, you’re here with me, and the next, it’s like you’re already gone.”

Frustration prickled under my skin, but it was directed inward. “It’s complicated,” I muttered.

“Then un-complicate it!” she snapped, pacing the room.

“I haven’t loved anyone since my mom died,” I blurted, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

“I’m scared you’ll leave me when you realize I’m not worth it. That I’m just… a fuck-up.”

She froze, her arms folding over her chest.

“I’ve been hurt so many times,” I continued, my voice cracking. “Every time I put myself out there, love beats me down. People always leave, Sonia. I can’t take it if you do too. I just… can’t.”

I hadn’t even realized I was crying until her soft fingers brushed away my tears.

“I won’t leave you,” she whispered, her voice firm despite the emotion in her eyes.

“You will,” I said, my voice breaking. “Everyone does.”

Her hands cupped my face, her gaze steady and filled with a love I could hardly believe. “I won’t,” she said again, her voice unwavering. “I love you, MJ. I love you so much.”

Her words shattered the walls around my heart, leaving me exposed and vulnerable.

“Me too,” I whispered, the admission both terrifying and liberating.

She smiled softly, pulling me into her arms. As I held her close, I let myself believe—if only for this moment—that she truly meant it.