The Billionaire's Tail

chapter fourteen

ALAN

I ran upstairs as soon as my legs were back. I was about to go to Madison's bedroom but I heard quiet sobbing coming from her office. I hated knowing that I was the cause of her tears.
I knocked. She didn't answer.

"I'm coming in." I said then waited a beat before opening the door. There she was in her chair, hunched over her desk  crying into her arms.

"Go away." She whimpered.

I gulped. My tongue felt dry and I flicked it over my parched lips.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." I tried to explain.
The problem with me was that I always chose anger to get out of a bad situation. I knew words hurt more than anything. Sure violence could break a few bones or give nasty bruises but words don't heal so easily. They can stay with you forever. Which is why keeping my secret results in me hurting the people I care about. Especially Madison.

"That's the problem. You're always sorry. You always hurt me and you never have a proper explanation." She sniffled and looked up at me.

I couldn't get a single word out of my mouth. She was right though. I always hurt her and I could never give her a proper reason. I was a monster.

"I don't know anything about you Alan." Her voice shook when she spoke. Her silky hair was messy and mascara stained her cheeks. She looked like a broken angel.

"But I said we'd learn about each other. I always find out something new about you every day!"
Isn't that what we promised each other?

"You only know me but I don't know you. I always feel like you're keeping something from me. You stumble over all your words as if you shouldn't have said something. And you make up lame excuses for everything that doesn't add up about you. We're perfect strangers."

My shoulders fell and it felt like my heart was being pulled down into my stomach. It all came down to me being a half fish didn't it? That was the only secret that loomed on me like a heavy burden. It was magical and beautiful but you can't ever know how to tell someone about it. For example Bryce and my parents who I had known my whole life were trustworthy and it was very necessary to tell them. It's not that I didn't trust Madison, I trusted her with my whole heart but I had no way of knowing how she'd react. I felt like our souls were connected on a deeper level than I could understand and that she was the one. The one I could spend the rest of my life with. But I've only known her for two months. I keep fighting between my head and my heart to tell her or not to tell her. Both of those choices risk me losing her.

"Madison, I really care about you. You mean the world to me. I promise I'll let you in more. I'll tell you everything about myself."

"Why don't I believe you." She said rather than asked. "I think we should take a break. Go back to being only boss and assistant for a while. I- I can't do this anymore." Her breathing was ragged and hot tears streamed down her face.

Did she just break up with me? I opened my mouth to say something then closed it again. What could i say? She was right, I was a like stranger to her.

I nodded. "I understand but this break won't be forever and when we're back together I'll make sure we know everything about each other."

She didn't respond but her gaze fell onto the tear sodden papers on her desk.

This was the part where I was supposed to beg her to let us be together, gather her in my arms and hold her till her sobs become sighs and she falls asleep on my chest.

But I didn't do any of that. I walked away.

I closed her door and we began the life we had before we started falling in love.