Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 52440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 262(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
"Believe me, baby, I know," I groan. "I've spent six years trying to survive without you." I press my lips to her forehead, breathing her in. "I don't intend to miss another day of your life."
"We'll see," she says.
And shit, I guess we will.
Chapter Seven
Nadia
"You agreed to go out with him?" Zoya's eyes widen in shock, her mouth popping open. "Wow."
"I know," I groan, flopping backward on my bed. "I must be crazy."
"Or," she says, crawling onto the bed beside me, "you're still in love with him and just afraid to admit it."
I roll onto my side to face her. "He said he told the press we were dating because he didn't want me thinking there were other women in his life."
"Uh, duh." Zoya rolls her eyes at me, laughing. "He's still the same Teo he's always been, Nadia. He always went to crazy lengths to protect you. He's just…different now."
"Angrier," I whisper, my gaze locked on her face. "Is that my fault, Zoya?"
I couldn't bring myself to ask him if he blamed himself for the accident. I was afraid of his answer. It's going to break me if he's been carrying that around for all this time. He doesn't deserve it. God, no part of it was his fault, and I've never once blamed him.
"No, of course not. He just…" She sighs, worrying her bottom lip. "You really need to talk to him about everything. There are a lot of things he doesn't know and a lot you don't. Those things did a lot of damage for both of you."
"Like what?"
"You know I'm not going to tell you." She shakes her head before propping it up on her hand. "I meant what I said earlier. We tried to talk to you about him. You moved out. We tried to talk to him, too. He got into his first bar fight. You guys were both drowning. Mom and Dad and Aunt Miranda and Jason were scared, Nadia," she whispers. "We all were. We were afraid we were going to lose one or both of you. So we did what we had to do to keep you both in our lives and keep our families intact, and we agreed that we wouldn't talk about you to him or him to you. We all keep your secrets for you, and we keep his for him. If you want him to know something, it's up to you to tell him. And if he wants you to know, that's his choice. We're just going to love you both and be here for both of you because that's what you need from us."
"When did you get so smart?"
She grins at me. "I've always been a genius. I just hid it better than you did. There was no freaking way I was doing all that extra work just because I was smart enough."
I laugh softly. Maybe I should have taken a page from her book. I don't regret all the work I put in back then; I actually enjoyed it. But I think sometimes our parents worried more about me because of how hard I always worked. I missed out on a lot because of it…which was part of the reason I didn't want to graduate early.
My dad was freaking out about losing me, worried about me out in the world on my own at seventeen, when I was still so freaking naïve. I'd always had Teo looking out for me, keeping me safe. The thought of me not having him to lean on was overwhelming for my dad. It was overwhelming for me, too. Neither of us was ready for me to tackle that hurdle.
I was so excited about finally having a year where I didn't have to work so hard. I could take easier classes and just enjoy my final year in high school with Teo. I could do all the things I'd put off—like going to all the dances, getting wasted at a bonfire, or hanging out at the mall with Zoya and our friends.
Instead, I spent my final year in physical therapy. And when I should have been packing for college, I was in rehab for PTSD from the car accident. Everything fell apart. The thought of talking to Teo about all of that is…overwhelming. Because I'm afraid he's going to break my heart all over again. Whatever excuse he gives me for not showing up when I needed him, I don't know that it'll ever be good enough. Why wasn't he there when I was in the hospital? In treatment the first time? Or the second time?
I may have told him to leave me alone, but you still show up for the people you care about. You don't just freaking listen! So…why did he listen? I'm not sure I'm ready for that answer.