Don't Give Up On Me [Book 2]

Chapter 30

I know I am a fool

for returning to her,

For she destroyed me,

But god damn, I love her.

Do you not understand that?

Love isn't what they show yourselves

in the films or tell you in the magazines.

Love is insane.

It towers over the world

like a spiral staircase

and only the mad ones

discover what lives beyond

the clouds.

-Christopher Poindexter

"L-Leah?" His whisper echoed through the empty room, trying to fill it up. I took a hard, dry gulp as I walked over to him.

"Hayden, I-.." I started, but immediately stopped, knowing that any wrong word could end what we fought for for so long.

Staring at each other, as if it was the first time to actually notice each other, to actually get to see more than a glimpse of the other person.

"Why?" The word came out with so many different meanings behind it, that I couldn't even put my finger on one.

"Why what?"

"Why did you destroy me?" He whispered, his voice gentle, but hurt.

I blinked.

"It was never my intention to hurt you in anyway, I didn't want to drag you into this hell. I swear." I whispered, bowing my head. A tear left my eyes, I felt more guilty than ever, If I hadn't been so naïve, he'd be okay.

I was more than surprised when I felt two strong arms around my waist. They held me closely into a chest as his head buried into my neck.

"Why must you be so innocent, yet you're a demon." He whispered tenderly, his arms securing around my waist.

I didn't answer his statement, I couldn't find any answer or anything that had to be said or added to this. So, we just held each other, whilst I only felt one hand of his on my back, the other wasn't secured around me.

"I'm so sorry." I heard him whisper as he rubbed my back with his hand.

"What for?" I whispered, but he just shook his head as he buried his head into the crook of my neck even more. His scent filled my nostrils just like how it used to, his body felt the same, yet different under my palms. He was a stranger, yet so familiar, almost as if he didn't change over those years. I felt finally okay again, feeling his arms around me, just the way they were always, but yet, something was different. He didn't seem to hug me just the way he used. He seemed to hug me almost cautiously. As if he was holding something that was bound to break apart or to explode. SO, I moved back, but he held me in place.

"No, you're to getting to escape again." He told me almost threatening, if I wouldn't have known it better, I would say it was a threat.

"Hayden.." I trailed off, wanting to put some distance between us, but all he did was holding me even harder.

"No. Demons are not supposed to live on earth. They are supposed to rot in hell." He whispered deadly. My eyes widened as I felt something sharp on my back, poking me through my thin shirt.

I gulped audibly as I realized that this was a knife, he was holding a knife against my back, he was going to kill me. He was thinking this all time long, that was why he wanted to hug me in the first place.

"Hayden, don't do this, I know I made some mistakes, but, please don't do this." I forced out, despite the shock I was in.

"I must get rid of the darkness." A tear rolled down his cheek.

"You can't solve any problem like this. You'll regret this." I croaked.

"I know." He answered.

"Then why do it?" I whispered.

"Because I have to."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. You're the one that changed me into.. this!"

"I did not do such thing. I was part of it, yes, but I'm not Steve, I'm not my father, I'm not the judge in the court, I'm not Zahir, nor am I Luke." I whispered.

"No, you're not, you're something beyond that. You're the reason for their actions. You manipulated them." He told me, his eyes dull, as he sought for anything to make sense.

"Hayden, think rational, I couldn't possibly have manipulated them. I didn't know any of them before besides my father of course. I didn't do such a thing. It was just the way things were meant to happen."

"Why would God want me to suffer? I had never done anything bad before!" He growled.

"Not you, but maybe you were meant to destroy The Union, maybe it was your fate to kill Steve, the one who made so many people suffer. It was meant to be your fight to win."

"My fight to win?" He whispered to himself as he frowned slightly, looking to the ground.

"Your fight to win. You are no bad, you're hero." I told him.

"A Hero?"

"Yes."

"Then why don't I feel like one?"