Even Heroes Have Scars

[56] Irresistible

Ansley's P.O.V.

~60 Hours Left~

"Ansley..."

"Hey, Demi."

Scarlet threaded her arm around mine, our fingers intertwined as she rested her cheek against my shoulder. She squeezed my hand tighter, and I winced slightly. Her lips pressed onto my shoulder blade. She was either protecting me, comforting me, or claiming me.

"Who's this, baby?" Scarlet asked, her face against my shoulder again.

Demi tensed, and internally, I smirked for a split second, then felt guilty as I watched pain surface in her eyes.

"Baby?" Every noise out of her was smaller now. Broken.

My cheeks went hot. It felt like the walls were closing in on me. I wove my arm out of Scarlet's grip and bolted for the door.

What the hell was I thinking? Talking to her? I was never going to talk to her again. She'd gone too far this time. And I wasn't even all that mad. At first, I was. But now, I was hurt. Was I not enough for her? Did I not make her happy enough? Sorry, Demi. I tried my best. Pleasing her was my first priority, but it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. I never would be.

Ignoring my expectations of "southern hospitality," I shoved past people. A few people grunted or cussed at me, but I just kept going.

Before I reached the door of the barbeque restaurant next door to Starbucks, someone was already calling my name. Thank goodness it wasn't Demi.

"Ansley." Scarlet was on my tail. "Ansley, stop."

I turned to face her, not expecting her to be only five inches away. People rushed by us, a few of them tipping their hats in our direction. Some Texans were a lot more southern than others. I never was. Nobody in Starbucks ever was, either.

"Who the hell is she?" Her voice was almost a whisper. She motioned toward the coffee shop.

Nervous, I glanced around the block, avoiding her eyes. "Nobody. She's nobody of any importance to me."

She rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed, but quickly pushed it away, back to her caring, sympathetic look. "She's your ex, isn't she?"

"How'd you know?"

A breeze carried through the air, autumn's arrival near. My hair curled up in the gust, circling around my neck like a rope, causing me to shiver. Her fingers slipped between mine, and goosebumps formed on my arms at her warm touch.

There was a slight smile on her lips, but it was quickly gone. "I could see it between you two. She meant a lot to you. She still does. And you mean a lot to her, too."

I shook my head, my eyes falling to the sidewalk beneath my feet. "She doesn't mean anything to me."

"Ansley. You're still in love with her. You love everything about her except for what she did to you. But you don't want to tell yourself that because you're scared. You're scared if you trust anyone, they'll hurt you like she did." She read me like an open book, like her hand clasped around mine told her everything that had been going on inside my head. "It'll be okay. Just give it time. Come here."

Her arms were held out for me, and she tugged me into a hug. I'd never hugged her before. This was comforting, peaceful, calming. Her minty vanilla and lilac scent was an aroma surrounding the both of us. The feeling of having her so close to me had made my knees weak for a reason I could not quite explain. She was holding me, and I was holding her, and we were holding each other as if pulling away would shatter the world's existence. But perhaps she didn't feel the same way. It was short lived, only a few seconds long, and then she backed away.