Afterlight (Fanfiction) ✓

chapter twenty-five

Chloe

HAVE you ever wrestled so much with the fear of hurting someone that it felt like you were breaking yourself in the process? Like the words you needed to say might shatter not only their heart but yours too? That's exactly how I felt in the moment Justin told me he didn't want me to leave. When he confessed he wanted me to stay, that he had feelings for me.

The look on his face was almost unbearable. I'd let him down, crushed something fragile in him, and it gutted me to see the hurt in his eyes. It was like I could feel his pain as if it were my own. My chest tightened, my throat burned, and the guilt started to weigh me down.

I didn't know what I wanted. Should I stay in Stratford with a man who seemed to attract trouble like a magnet but looked at me like I was his whole world? Or should I go back to California, to the life I knew—safe, structured, but stifling? Justin had told me he cared, but was it true? Doubts swirled in my mind, overwhelming me until my lips trembled and my vision blurred with tears. Even Justin standing in front of me became a smudge in my watery gaze.

"Don't cry." His voice was soft, almost pleading, as he stepped toward me. His arms wrapped around me gently, and I melted into his embrace. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"How can I know you're not just using me?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

Justin sighed deeply, his breath warm against my hair. "You have to trust me," he said simply, but there was an urgency in his voice, a vulnerability that made me pause.

I buried my face in his chest, his scent grounding me even as my emotions spiraled. "I don't know what to do anymore," I admitted. "I'm so tired, so scared. Scared that someone will show up and take me away. Scared of getting hurt. Scared of trusting you and being wrong."

His arms tightened around me, as if he could shield me from all of it. "I swear I'll protect you," he murmured. "I'll do everything I can to give you peace."

"I just want my old life back," I choked out, my voice cracking under the weight of longing. "I want my parents back. I want my brother back—not the gang leader, but Brad. I want to be with you and not have to wonder if you're hiding something from me. Is that too much to ask?"

Justin exhaled slowly, pressing his chin to the top of my head. "No, it's not too much," he said softly. "You deserve all of that and more."

I wanted to believe him. The way his warmth wrapped around me like a protective cocoon made me want to stay in that moment forever. But the shadow of Damien hung over us, a constant reminder that I wasn't truly free. Still, as much as his brother terrified me, my feelings for Justin burned brighter.

"I'll never make you feel trapped, Chloe," he said, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes. His gaze was steady, sincere. "If you want to go home, I'll help you. If you decide to stay or come back, you'll always have a place here."

The words sank deep, settling into a part of me that had been frayed and raw for so long. It felt like a promise I wanted to trust, but fear still lingered. "I think... I think I really need you," I admitted quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You have me," he rasped, his voice thick with emotion. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to the crook of my neck. "You'll always have me."

For a moment, we just stood there, holding on to each other as if the world outside didn't exist. Then, Justin pulled back slightly, brushing a tear from my cheek with his thumb. "Before you, I felt like a slave to my own life," he said, his voice low and rough. "I did what I was told—trained, fought, followed orders. I never stopped to think about what I wanted. But meeting you..." His hand cupped my face, his thumb tracing my cheek. "Now I know. I want you. I want to spend my moments with you."