When Worlds Collide (Synyster Gates) ~Book 3~

Chapter 44

She noticed the crack in the door and pushed it open with her fingertips, sticking her head inside the room. Her mouth dropped sadly when she saw him sleeping in the guest bed. He finally looked peaceful and at ease, sleeping. His eyelids hid his bloodshot dark eyes from view and the thick blanket covered the bottom half of his body, only showing off his back, which bore his name on it in intricate letters. She could not help it, the mere image of him drew her in and she found herself pacing cautiously along the soft rug to the foot of the wooden bed.

She found a spot between his torso and the edge of the mattress, sat down as silently as she could possibly manage and took the time to examine his image. Half of his face was buried comfortably in the pillow and a random strand of his black hair fell onto his forehead. His skin was clear and smooth, even a touch freckled. His handsomely outlined mouth could not have looked more welcoming and inviting to her than it did in that moment. His skilled, slender fingers were knotted weakly in the comforter and she longed to take his hand in hers and feel the firmness of his skin again. She wanted to run her fingertips down his strong arms and across his broad back. She wished to curl to his side and have him hold her. The more she lingered there, the stronger her heart beat and the sharper her senses turned. His familiar smell enveloped her, clean and warm and masculine as ever.

He did not deserve this. He was larger than life. The nicest guy. So kind, talented, passionate and devoted. He had never hurt her, never did anything bad to her on purpose. He did not deserve to have his heart broken like this. He did not deserve having to sleep in the guest room of the house which he purchased himself with his own money, the money he worked 24/7 to earn. She did not deserve him even though she loved her with every cell of her body and every shred of her soul. She knew she had to let him go. But she loved him and she hated hurting him. It was selfish of her to hold on to him for so long, even though he came willingly.

Then, suddenly Brian stirred, causing Chloe to snap out of her thoughts and return to her senses. Her eyes followed him closely, watching how he winced, exhaled and then rolled over. His chest tattoo hit her hard. It was so bold and so dark against the crisp white sheets that it had almost blinded her. Truthfully, she wished he had never got it. There was too much pain in it and too much memory for a person to bear on their skin. On a more superficial note, she found it vulgar, and thought it messed up his proportions. Brian stretched his shoulders, his eyes still closed, though squeezed tight, as if he could sense she was there but fought the inevitable need to look at her. Not moving an inch, she continued studying his handsome face, this time focusing on the tiny hole his old stud left in his nose and the little scar beside the right corner of his mouth.

Slowly, Brian’s dark eyelids faltered open, the afternoon light crept through the curtain and blinded him for a moment, painting his eyes a shade of hazel.  His hands came to his face and he rubbed the sleep off tiredly. He was obviously aware of Chloe’s presence, but chose to disregard it for a couple more minutes. Clearing his throat, he tucked one hand behind his head and then finally turned his face to meet hers. “What are you doing here?” Sitting up, he asked throatily, his voice barely above a whisper.

Chloe did not know how to answer that. Frankly, she did not even know what drew her in there in the first place. Clueless, she gave a faint shrug and sucked in the corner of her bottom lip. Brian exhaled extensively through his nose and watched how Chloe placed the palm of her hand on the mattress and rested her bodyweight on it. Her cropped top rose up and she saw Brian take a long look at the strip of her skin between the hem of her top and the elastic band of her grey leggings. He almost seemed saddened by the thoughts crossing his mind.

“I don’t know…” Chloe confessed quietly, burying her fingers in the roots of her blonde hair. “I love you.” She told him seriously and dropped her hand to his forearm, closing her fingers around it.