The Broken One ✔

Chapter 24

The next morning, I woke up in my apartment laying beside Andi. We both just looked into each other's eyes for a good ten minutes. Our connection was so great, neither of us had ever experienced anything like it before.

Andi broke her gaze before sitting up "All that stuff I said last night-" she started slowly.

"This morning" I corrected her as resting my head onto my hand, looking up at the angel in front of me "two am counts as the morning"

"Was true" she finished, ignoring what I had just said.

I know now that the reason why Andi was so adamant about our relationship was that she was trying to warn me from her. To be honest, I didn't care how broken she claimed to be - all I knew for sure was that I couldn't let her go.

I wonder what my life would be like if I had. I probably wouldn't be here telling this story.

"I know it was" I nodded as sitting up and taking her hands "and I don't care"

"Ned-" she sighed as glancing down at her bare legs.

"Look, Andi" I traced her jawline with my fingertips "all I know for sure right now is that I like you which is so fucking crazy to me...I can't just let this go"

Andi was kinda like alcohol for me. I knew it was bad for me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop. Both were an addiction for me.

"Well you need to" she lowered her voice as I placed my hand over her thigh. She then kissed my lips for a few seconds before pulling away "see ya perfect stranger" she flashed me a small smile before jumping out of bed.

And to be honest, I thought I would never see her again.

***

The next day Blake called me out of the blue. I was hesitant to answer due to the conversation that I had with Raff, but I did anyway. Blake asked if anything new had happened since we spoke last, so I told him the story of Andi.

"And that was that," I finished with my cell pressed against my ear as I walked down the sidewalk.

"You have to call her man" Blake cried "do you have her number?"

After a few days, I had accepted Andi's decision to leave things at a one night stand. It was difficult, but I did - however, that all changed after that conversation with Blake.

"Yeah she gave it to me" I nodded.

"Than what are you waiting for!" He screamed in excitement.

I had no intention of calling her. She seemed pretty firm about never seeing me again.

I shrugged "she never wants to see me again...She only believes in one times things"

Blake laughed "when has that ever stopped you before?"

Yeah, that was true. Like Happy Loman in The Death Of a Salesman, I would sleep with engaged women that were dating my friends, then show up to their weddings.

I've had ten or fifteen girls in my phone at once, that I would rotate between every two weeks before I grew disinterested in them.

"True true" I nodded to myself ".....So Uh you're not coming home for graduation?" I changed the subject quickly.

"Nah I think I'm gonna stay put, to be honest," my best friend admitted as my apartment building entered my vision. Blake then laughed, "I can't believe your graduating though"

I laughed "yeah, you and me both-"

Oh, how did I forgot to mention? Okay so remember when I said that rarely showed up to class and when I did I didn't do shit? Yeah, well if you recall I previously stated that my GPA was incredible.

How was this even impossible? Well not only had I been doing extra circular activities since my college freshman year but I had also been attending night school where my English Lit professor used to make an occasional appearance.

Again - I didn't give a crap about my education by I did make a promise to not only Elise but also to Gina that I would at least graduate college. So that year I started to try harder during the day and so after night school, some of the professors helped me out.

"I guess all the extracurricular and night school paid off" Blake added.

"Yeah, I guess so" I nodded as walking by a large poster at the back of a stop sign, it had a mental health hotline on it. ".....So have you talked to your dad?"

I had to know if Raff had said anything. If he had, then I would lose one of my best friends. That's when I walked towards the front door of the building.

"No, why?" Blake asked.

Apart of me wanted to scream it out. Secrets and lies are like poison, they just eat away at your soul, until you eventually go crazy.

Keeping something so big from Blake and not knowing when he'll find out was actually crippling me.

I shook my head as waving at the doorman "no reason"

"Look I gotta go," he told me "I'll talk to you soon"

"Bye man" I ended the call before running my fingers through my hair.

"Is everything alright Mr Carter?" The doorman named Bill asked.

I sighed "what do you do if....someone trusted you enough with something personal...then you went ahead and told somebody..."

"Well it depends" Bill shrugged "did you tell somebody for the right reasons"

I looked down "fear mostly...I was worried about them"

He half smiled "then I'm sure the person will understand"

"I doubt it" I shook my head before smiling "thanks Bill" with that, I entered my apartment building.