Downfall | ✔️

Chapter 26.

I pull up outside of the house and prepare myself, what am I even going to say? I never stick to my prepared speech anyway. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach as I walk back into the house, directly to the room Mason and I share - to find him perched on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. His head snaps up at the sound of me closing the door and I avoid looking at him, taking off my jacket and laying it on the bed.

"Where did you go? I was worried." he snaps.

"You told me you needed space, so I went to clear my head, and let you clear your own." I tell him and he stands up to face me.

"I know Steve spoke to you." I say and his eyes widen.

"You could have told me, we could've talked things out, Mason." I say lowly.

"We can't talk this out, Amara. I'm bad for you. We both know it and we can't just ignore that." he says coldly and I immedietly know which direction this conversation is going.

"This again? You aren't bad for me. We've been over this, you-"

"Exactly, we have been over this. Nothing changes the fact I'm dangerous for you and that isn't going to fucking work, Amara. No matter how much we talk shit out." he says through his teeth, a mixture of anger and hurt flooding his voice. My heart is aching and ice fills my veins.

"Let me speak, Mason. Stop cutting me off." I say, trying to contain my emotions.

"It isn't all about how you feel. You can't expect me to be okay with you telling me this, like I'm not supposed to be heartbroken. You can't act like you aren't hurting me right now, when you say that's what you aim to avoid!" I raise my voice angrily, trying to stop the tears from spilling from my eyes.

"I'm not even fucking thinking about myself! You know that. I don't want to leave you. You're the only person who cares about me and stands by me, Amara! Fucking hell, I'm losing my mind over it!" he raises his voice back to me with raw emotion and the tears begin to fall from my eyes. I'm aware Carol and Steve can probably hear us, Isabella's room is too far for her to hear, along with my moms. I don't know what I expected from this conversation but this is worse than I could've ever imagined.

"It's such a backwards logic. You don't want to hurt me so you're going to leave me?" I yell and my voice breaks, I see his eyes soften as he watches me break down.

"We're going to ruin each other, Amara. You're going to fuck me up as much as I'm going to fuck you up. We can't work. We both inevitably destroy each other." he says as he tugs his fingers through his hair.

"What are you talking about?" I whine as I wipe the hot tears that continue to escape my bloodshot eyes. This is it, he's leaving me.

"That's how we end up, Amara! Fire and ice, that's what we are. We get too close, we let each other in and I turn you cold, I freeze all of the goodness and the warmth inside of you, I put out that fire in you that burns so fucking bright it made me fall for you, me of all people!" he throws his hands down in frustration.

"And you, you burn me down, you melt the walls I've spent so fucking long building, you melt that ice-façade I have going and you leave me too vulnerable, you can leave me at any time and that's on me, Amara. We aren't right for each other—we aren't good for each other! We just fucking aren't." he yells and his voice cracks, I notice his eyes become glassy and I feel my breath stunt. He stands to his feet in anger, and blinks it away, trying to keep himself together.

I stand in front of him, my voice inaudible, my chest aching and my hands trembling. I don't make any effort to control the tears as they fall. Both of us are terrified that this is the end, and that's what's all the more terrifying.