Page 131 of Love Unwritten

I tap my knuckles against the door harder. “Ellie.”

The strumming stops, but the door remains shut.

“Can we talk about earlier, please?”

No response.

“I want to apologize,” I say a minute later when she still hasn’t opened the door. “I know I don’t deserve it, but if you give me a chance, I’d like to explain the real reason why I said what I did today.”

My heart beats faster in my chest as I silently wait. The vein in my neck pulses with each rapid thump of my heart, and I consider giving up and walking away, but my feet won’t move.

Thankfully, I don’t have to. The sound of a lock turning, followed by hinges softly creaking as the door opens, makes my stomach lurch.

Ellie blocks the entrance to her cabin with a frown. Her black and white striped pajama top and pants are a perfect match, and while I like the outfit, I miss seeing her tattoos.

She crosses her arms. “I’m tired, Rafael.”

“We can talk tomo—”

She doesn’t let me finish my sentence. “No. I’m tired.” She emphasizes the word. “It’s exhausting trying to get to know you, and honestly, I don’t know if it’s worth it anymore.”

She doesn’t need a weapon to tear into me and do some damage. Her words are enough, cutting me off at the knees.

I deserve it, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

She continues, “I was wrong for how I behaved earlier. I let our…um”—she gestures between us without saying the damn word I know she means—“cloud my judgment, and for that, I’m sorry. It was inappropriate for me to push you like that.”

“Regardless, I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

“Why? You were just being honest. I know you don’t trust me and never will, so you might as well put me in my place so I don’t embarrass myself anymore.”

“I hate that I made you feel that way,” I say with a frown.

“Why?”

“Because I care.”

Her bitter laugh sounds all wrong. “You have a funny way of showing it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Leave me be.”

“I can’t.”

“Why? You’ve done it for eight months already, so it can’t be that difficult.”

“That was before.”

“Before what?”

“I realized just how much I care.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Ellie

I told myself that I wouldn’t fall for another one of Rafael’s apologies. I’ve done it before, and look what it got me.