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I’ll take that as a yes.
I sigh. If Alex asked him to stay, Blaze isn’t budging. “Bowls are in the cabinet to your right. Spoons in the drawer below them.” Then I stalk off, heading back upstairs and locking myself in my bedroom.
He may be forcing me to stay in the same house as him, but I’ll be damned if we have to be in the same room.
Grabbing a book, I crawl back under the covers. I’ve spent plenty of Saturdays cooped up at home reading. There’s no reason why I can’t do that today.
But I don’t even make it a page before my mind drifts off.
You must’ve hit your head harder than I thought.
The second those words came out of his mouth, my mind went to what he said to me after he dragged me out of the club last weekend.
Jesus, Brooke. You’re really not very smart.
My heart clenches. Blaze knows my intelligence is one of my biggest insecurities. It was such a struggle to keep up with Alex’s grades. He thrives under pressure—I wither under it.
Every time I got a less-than-perfect score, my father would call me into his office to lecture me. He’d tell me that I was ruining my future, and even more importantly, his name and reputation. I always left his office in tears, fleeing to one of my hiding spots. Half the time, Blaze is the one who’d find me hours later.
God, he’s such an asshole now. How many times did he witness me having full-blown anxiety attacks over my test scores? Over my lab reports? Over everything?
And now, years after entrusting him with one of the most vulnerable parts of me, he’s weaponized it.
I snap the book shut, sinking into my pillows. There’s no use trying to focus on it.
How can Blaze go from holding me so tenderly to getting off on hurting me in one of the places he knows will tear me apart the most? Why does he want me safe if he himself isn’t safe to me anymore? Not emotionally, at least.
And why did he sound so vulnerable this morning when he told me I’d scared him?
All of those questions swirl in my head, overwhelming me. And before I know it, my eyes are fluttering closed, and I can’t seem to stay awake.
Maybe it’s the emotional weight that’s crushing my chest.
Maybe it’s all of the injuries my body sustained.
Maybe it’s because I could barely sleep last night, considering Blaze Grayson was in bed next to me.
I don’t know. All I remember thinking before sleep finally takes me is that I hope he leaves me alone for the rest of the day.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BLAZE
ONE YEAR AGO
I STAND IN my living room, narrowing my eyes at my coffee table.
Something’s missing.
Brooke’s favorite snacks—check.
Our favorite beer—check.
A stack of her favorite rom-coms that she always turns to when she’s had a bad day—check.
It’s Tuesday, my and Brooke’s usual movie night. We’ve been planning on watching a new action movie, but when we talked on the phone earlier, I could tell something was up.
Call it intuition, call it being someone’s best friend for twenty years. Doesn’t matter. Brooke is upset, and there isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do to make her feel better.
