Page 32 of Say You'll Stay
Ray’s broken form crumples, a macabre marionette with its strings cut, and a dark, primal part of me revels in his agony. The bitter tang of copper fills the air, a heady elixir that sets my heart racing. He deserves this, I think, my lips curling into a feral snarl. He deserves to bleed, to suffer, as I did.
But even as I savor this moment of karmic retribution, the rational corner of my mind rebels. This path, drenched in blood and rage, leads only to ruin. I can’t let June lose himself to the abyss, can’t let him sacrifice his soul on the altar of my vengeance.
“June, enough!” My voice cracks like a whip, sharp and commanding. “He’s not worth it.”
June stills, his chest heaving, eyes wild and unfocused. He turns to me, a maelstrom of emotions playing across his blood-spattered face - desperation, anguish, and a bone-deep hunger that sends a shiver racing down my spine. But beneath the chaos, a spark of recognition, a silent plea for absolution.
“Cara,” he rasps, my name a benediction on his lips, salvation and damnation in one breath. “You came.”
I step forward, palm outstretched, a gesture of supplication. “I’m here, June. But this” - I sweep my hand towards Ray’s whimpering husk - “this won’t fix what’s broken.”
Defiance flares in June’s eyes, bright and unyielding. “He destroyed you, Cara. Fuck, he nearly ended you. I won’t let that stand.”
My chest constricts, a vice of unspoken anguish. “I know, June. God, do I know.” My words are a broken whisper, raw and bleeding. “But this… this will only destroy you, too.”
The fight drains from him, shoulders slumping in weary resignation. With a last, disgusted glance at Ray, June hauls him up, fingers biting into mottled flesh.
“Crawl back to whatever hole you slithered out of,” June hisses, venom dripping from every word. “And if I ever catch you near Cara again, I’ll rip out your fucking throat.”
Ray staggers into the night, a broken phantom, as June watches, jaw clenched and eyes haunted. He turns to me, a man laid bare, stripped of all pretense.
“Cara, fuck, I’m so sorry. For all of it.”
I close the distance between us, my touch a whispered absolution as I cradle his face. “I know, June. I know.”
In the fractured light, I see the boy I fell for, the man I lost myself to - flawed and fierce, tender and terrifying. The man who, despite every scar and sin, fights with all he is to be what I need.
“I’ve fucked everything up,” he says, his brow pressed to mine, breath mingling in the scant space between us. “I’m not worthy of your forgiveness, but Christ, Cara, it’s all I want. All I’ll ever want.”
His words, raw and aching, pierce through the armor I’ve spent so long crafting. Without hesitation, I pull him to me.
“I know, June.” I whisper, the words a meager attempt at comfort. “I know.”
June’s eyes shimmer with unshed tears, as the words keep spilling out.
“I’ve made such a mess of things,” he murmurs, his forehead coming to rest against mine. “I’ve hurt you, betrayed your trust. I don’t deserve you, but God, Cara, I want you. I need your love, more than I’ve ever needed anything.”
The raw vulnerability in his voice tugs at my heartstrings, a fragile thread of connection I thought I’d severed for good as the last of his composure crumbles.
“We’ll get through this, June,” I murmur, my fingers threading through his hair, a lifeline in the tempest. “But no more hiding. It’s just us now, all the way.”
His arms tighten around me, a drowning man clinging to salvation. “Anything, Cara. Everything. Just don’t let go.”
The broken desperation in his plea splinters something deep within me. Even with the ruins of our love scattered at our feet, the embers of what we once had, what we could be again, refuse to die.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I breathe, lips pressed to his temple, a vow seared into skin and soul.
We remain locked in our embrace, twin hearts beating out a fragile hymn of hope amidst the gathering shadows. The ghosts of our sins linger, but in the shelter of each other’s arms, the promise of absolution gleams.
Reluctantly, we untangle our limbs, eyes meeting in a profound sort of silence. The shattered pieces of our story lie between us, waiting to be reassembled.
“Stay with me tonight?” The question is soft, laced with cautious yearning. “I think we have some long overdue conversations ahead of us.”
June nods, a flicker of apprehension crossing his features. But beneath it, I see a renewed determination, a man resolved to face the consequences of his actions.
As we step into the apartment, the air feels charged, heavy with the unspoken words that linger between us. But there’s also a sense of possibility, a glimmer of light in the darkness that has threatened to consume us both.
This is merely the beginning of a new chapter, one that will probably test the very limits of our love and resilience.