Page 65 of Benji

My god, the way he’d held me. Mending something in me that he didn’t break. Healing wounds he didn’t inflict.

I clung to that hope like I clung to him.

I didn’t understand why he was doing it. He’d said it was because I was worth it, and while I didn’t believe that, he promised to prove it.

And he promised to show me what love meant, if I’d let him.

Love.

Actual love.

If I could ever love anyone, it would be Nolan.

How he’d put himself between me and Dominic when the door intercom buzzed...

When he said he’d protect me, he meant it.

But then Fitch and Ky were there, and I was crying again.

Dominic had called Fitch?

I couldn’t get my head around that. Around anything.

“Benji,” Nolan murmured. “I need to speak to Dominic. Would you please give us a moment?”

I wasn’t sure where we could go in his one-bedroom apartment aside from the one bedroom, so that was where I took them.

I closed the door behind them, and they stood there, watching me. “The fuck happened?” Fitch said. “Are you okay? You’ve been crying, Benj. I ain’t ever seen you cry before.”

I went to the bed, pulled back the covers, and crawled into the middle of the bed. I patted either side of me. “I’m tired.”

They both toed out of their sneakers and Fitch dove into the closest side, Ky crawling over me, and they both encased me, cuddling me. Fitch pulled the covers up and grabbed the remote control, pressing the TV on.

“This is amazing,” he said.

Ky noticed my backpack still at the foot of the bed. “Are you leaving?”

I sighed. “I tried, but Nolan wants me to stay. He... said he can look after me if I stay. Protect me.”

“He looked a bit protective when we got here,” Fitch said. “Standing in front of you like that. It was hot.”

I snorted, because of course he’d think it was hot. I would have normally cracked a joke about that, but I wasn’t feeling it. “He... said he could show me what it means to be loved if I’d let him.”

They both froze, then popped their heads up to look at me. It was almost funny, but all I could do was cryagain. “He’s so fucking nice. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve him.”

“You got hit by his car,” Ky said.

“You let him come inside you,” Fitch said.

Ky swatted Fitch’s arm but it did make me laugh.

“What?” he cried. “It’s true. I told you!”

Ky sighed. “Well, it’s notuntrue.”

I let out a shaky breath. “He’s on the legal team in my father’s trial. It’s a mess. Him even knowing me could jeopardise the whole case. Let alone a personal relationship. He could lose his job, probably. I don’t know. It’s so unfair. Because he didn’t know. I never told him my real name.”

“That’s right,” Fitch said. “So it’s not your fault. It’s not his fault either.”