Page 8 of Broken
Asher squares his shoulders and looks down at her with a look that oozes intimidation, but Jordan is so used to it that it doesn’t faze her.
“My relationship with Eli is none of your business.” His growl sends shivers up my spine.
“Stop calling me that,” I snap, finding some of my backbone. “You lost the right to call me that when you left.”
Asher’s eyes flick over to meet mine.
“I want to go home, Jordan.” My eyes stay on Asher’s. “There’s nothing for me here.”
One of his eyes twitches at my words.
Good. I hope it hurts. I shouldn’t be the only one maimed by his abandonment.
“Absolutely.” Jordan grabs my hand and pulls me from the shelter.
Reporters are waiting for us, yelling questions about how I know Asher Vaughn and if I’m in a secret relationship with him. Jordan pushes right through them, pulling me along with her, completely ignoring the mess of people. At the car, she opens my door and closes it for me before climbing into the driver’s seat.
She gets us away from the school before she speaks, but I know the questions are coming. My foot is bouncing as I lean my forehead against the glass and focus on my breathing.
Calm. Slow inhale. Controlled exhale.
“So, you reallyknowAsher Vaughn.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket. My best guess is it’s Asher, and I can’t with him right now. I can’t even be in my own head right now, dealing with the tornado that just unearthed the disfigured crater where my soul used to live. The sunlight that once hummed through my veins is now nothing but empty darkness with monsters living in the deep shadows.
I miss who I was.
CHAPTERTHREE
Elliot
In my apartment, Jordan sits on the couch and pulls my head into her lap, running her hands through my hair. A single tear slips from my eye and soaks into her jean-clad thigh.
“Tell me about him,” she says softly.
I close my eyes and let out a shuddering breath.
“I loved him.” My voice is broken and sad, even to my own ears. I don’t think I’ve ever said those words out loud. At least not where anyone could hear me. It forces light onto the wreckage inside my rib cage. My heart beats in an irregular pattern of scar tissue and broken heartstrings that never healed. I’m so tired of hurting. Of hiding it.
Jordan’s nails scrape lightly over my scalp, setting off chills across my skin.
“I’m sorry I ruined your birthday.”
I shake my head as much as I can with my face against her leg. “You didn’t. It’s the thought that counts.”
“He lied to me.” She takes a deep breath, and from the movement of her body, she dropped her head back onto the couch. “He sent me a message on Insta, told me he was going to be in the area on your birthday, and surprising you would be the best present. Looking back, he was either vague or just gave me bullshit answers to the questions I asked, but this picture kind of sealed the deal for me.” She lifts her phone and finds something before showing me a picture.
My hand covers my mouth as I look at the smiling faces of Marcus, Asher, and me just a few weeks before my life flipped upside down. I remember when he took that picture out at the cliff. It was so hot that day, and my parents had come back to town for a while, so there were people everywhere at the house. It was loud and crowded, so we left to get away from it.
Marcus has his arm around my shoulders with his tongue hanging out, Asher ducked down in front of us with that devastating smile. Our eyes had met on the screen just as he hit the shutter button. It’s clear in this image how much I loved him. It was etched into my face, but I’m not sure I see it in his. Was he faking it? Was he just better at hiding it than I was?
I thought I had run out of tears for him, but apparently not. The knot in my throat grows until I can’t breathe as I sit up and hold her phone in my hand, staring at the screen through bleary eyes.
“I looked him up, did some research to make sure there hadn’t been a big falling out, but any time he mentioned your family in interviews, it was good. He obviously loved your family, and it sounded like you had just grown apart when life got busy.” Jordan puts her arm over my shoulder and pulls my head to hers so her forehead rests against my temple. “I’m so sorry, Elliot.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s my fault for not telling you the whole truth.”
“Can you tell me now?” Her breath tickles my cheek.