Page 43 of One Last Time
I dutifully follow behind him until we get outside, but I’m getting annoyed that I’m being left in the dark. He climbs into his car, not once looking back at me. Fuck it. I climb into the passenger's side. Where the hell are we going?
“Jack, what the hell is going on?” I demand when he pulls out of the parking lot.
“Trust me,” is all he says.
I fucking do trust him, but right now, I’ve no fucking idea what to think. That feeling in my gut intensifies. He turns up at my apartment and demands that I come with him. Something’s not right.
He talks about the game last night, and I let him, right now, the small talk is infuriating me. I bite my tongue and wait it out.
Fifteen minutes later and he’s pulling up outside a house. I frown, wondering where the hell we are.
He shuts off the engine and turns to look at me. His face serious, and his eyes full of worry. Fuck, what the hell is going on?
"This is your chance," he begins, "this is your make or break. I don't know the ins and outs, Ali never did say, but from what I have gathered, she's broken Si."
My brows knit together as I try to decipher his words. "What?"
“If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get everything you’ve ever wanted.” He tells me, and I’m getting pissed with his cryptic shit. “Hurt her, and you’re going to have a lot of angry people after you. My sister Ali fucking loves her.”
“Stop talking in riddles,” I yell, my anger finally coming to the forefront.
He smirks and it just angers me further. But his next words have that anger dissipating. “Payton.”
Everything he’s just said comes flooding back, and the one thing that stands out has my heart clenching. “She’s broken?”
He nods, giving me a sad smile. “Yeah, man. Just don’t hurt her. I don’t want to have to go against my sisters to save your ass.”
His sister Ali isn’t a blood sister, but that doesn’t matter. The Cassly’s practically adopted her and she’s been a member of their family ever since. They all love her as though she’s blood family. Ali’s best friend is Jack's biological sister Carey, and Tanya. Jack’s wife is their friend too, since college.
“Ali knows Pay?” How the hell do they know each other?
Jack chuckles, “Yeah, go talk to your girl and sort this out. There’s a lot you’re about to find out. Your answers are behind that door.”
“What?” I’m fucking shocked, I’m rooted to the spot.
“I got a call from Ali this morning. She’s worried about Payton. She asked me to bring you here. She needs you, Si. Payton needs you.”
His words spur me into action, I push open the car door. “Thanks, man.” I slide out of the car, and my feet are moving toward the house. I hear his car reversing as I knock on the door.
It’s as though an eternity passes as I wait for the door to open. Why is she broken? What happened to her? I have some many dark thoughts running through my mind. But when it does, every thought leaves my mind. All that I see is the beautiful woman that I love so fucking much.
The pictures I’ve seen haven’t captured the depth of her despair. The pain in her eyes tears at my fucking soul. The weight she’s lost is even more noticeable than I thought. Her collar bone is protruding from her oversized sweater. She looks so fucking broken, and I hate it.
“Si…” she whispers, and I can’t bear the fucking pain in her voice. She licks her lips and glances around. “What are you doing here?” Her voice is tiny, much like how she looks right now.
“What’s going on, baby?” I ask as I move towards her, unable to keep my hands off of her any longer. I pull her into my arms, and instantly my body relaxes.
My t-shirt is instantly soaked, and I glance down to see tears streaming from her eyes. “Baby?”
It’s as though a dam has burst, her body wracks as a sob breaks through. Her entire body shakes in my arms. I sweep her up into my arms, hating just how fucking light she is. She shouldn’t be this small. Fuck. What’s happened? Has someone hurt her?
I kick the door closed behind me as I move into her house. She clings to my body as though she’s afraid to let go. I walk toward the sofa, not once glancing around her home, I’m too concerned about what’s going through her head.
“Baby?” I ask once I’m seated. She’s tucked up in my lap, her hands gripping my t-shirt as she continues to sob.
“I didn’t want to tell you over the phone,” she says through her sobs, and I tense beneath her. Tell me what? “But it’s too late now.” Her voice the softest I’ve ever heard, and yet filled with so much despair.
“What happened, baby, tell me,” I beg, trying my hardest to keep the anger out of my voice. I hate that she’s hurting, but right now, I need to know what the fuck has happened.