Chapter 53
Fiona
I cry out from the pain searing my scalp. I thrash against the man, but he just chuckles in
“Ethan! Help!” I scream, hoping he’ll save me.
response.
“Your boyfriend won’t come for you.” the man growls, pushing me closer to the edge of the stadium. My attack surround me, moving toward me. I step back and nearly stumble.
“He doesn’t care about you. Look at him down there celebrating,” the man sneers, yanking my hair and forcing me to look toward the field. Ethan is down there like the man said, and instead of looking up at me, he’s jumping around excitedly with his arms around his teammates, celebrating their win. Just like the man said.
I look away.
Ethan wouldn’t ignore me or abandon me. He wouldn’t. I trust that he would look in danger.
or me- would help
– if he knew I was
“Look at him!” The man demands, shoving me forward. He wrenches my hair again, and this time I close my eyes. I don’t
want to see it.
I gasp when the man pushes me against the railing, making it dig into my stomach and force the air out of my lungs. My feet come off the ground briefly, making me wobble against the handrail.
“Look at him. He doesn’t care about you,” the man whispers in my ear, and when I look at Ethan this time, he’s with her. The blonde ex–girlfriend from earlier is wrapped around Ethan, kissing him like they’d never broken up.
Confusion fills me at the sight, my heart squeezing and chest tightening. He wouldn’t.
“And he won’t save you.” He pushes me into the railing again, this time with more force. My vision blurs, and my fear spikes as my grip slips, and I’m suddenly falling over the ledge. The ground rushes toward me.
A scream rips from my throat.
“ETHAN!”
“Fiona!”
I bolt up, gasping for air and looking around. The dark room only makes my fear rise as do the arms around me.
“Let me go! Please!” I cry, thrashing against the strong arms holding me down. I can’t let them get me again.
“Fiona, it’s me. It’s Ethan,” a familiar voice says, pulling me from the haze of the nightmare.
“E–Ethan?”
He hurns and shushes me, and a second later a lamp beside the bed clicks on, washing us in a soft warm light. A whimper falls from my lips at the sight of Ethan hovering over me with sleepy eyes and messy hair.
“Shhh,” he murmurs, brushing a thumb under my watery eyes. “You’re okay. I’m right here, and you’re okay.”
I gasp for air, clutching at Ethan’s sides, unable to get ahold of myself. Flashes of a big crowd, the sounds of yelling, and the pain from being dragged by my hair resurface.
“Just breathe,” he says, and then his breathing turns heavy and exaggerated. “With me, in and out.” I do as he says, breathing slowly and purposefully, syncing my inhales and exhales with his
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Chapter 53
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As we breathe together, my grip on Ethan’s sides loosens and the panic subsides. He watches me with those piercing green eyes, keeping my attention on him and nothing else..
In a soothing gesture, Ethan runs a hand over my hair then down my arm. It’s like he’s trying to chase away the fear pounding through me. And it works. My fear melts away, leaving only the warm, fuzzy feeling that grows inside of me because of Ethan.
“I- I think I’m okay,” I mutter, taking one last deep breath. Ethan’s eyes roam over me, checking to make sure I’m truly alright before he rolls over, wrapping me in his arms and pulling me to him.
“Whatever happened. I’m here,” he continues to murmur in my ear. His soft, steady voice is comforting enough that I relax against his chest. My check lays right over Ethan’s heart, and I close my eyes, trying to forget about what happened.
“I–I was so scared, Ethan,” I mutter, closing my eyes. Curling into Ethan’s body, I wrap my fingers around his t–shirt and hold on tightly. “I tried to block out the feeling of terror, the memory of thinking I was going to die, broken across bleachers after falling from that height. I–I didn’t think I would survive.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, pushing it down until it sinks into my stomach.
“It’s okay, Fiona, to talk about it,” Ethan tells me, brushing his hand down the back of my hair again. The soft touch and his support make me want to open up. I hadn’t said anything after he caught me. I was frozen in fear and blacked out. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the back of an ambulance that I came back around.
Ethan had been hovering beside me, holding my hand as the paramedic told him, and me, that I was all right. My only injuries were a bruised jaw and fingers. Luckily, they’re just torn up from being stepped on.
After that, Ethan took me to his car. Ryan was there and apologized multiple times on the drive home. I don’t remember anything after that before waking up a few minutes ago.
“Before they pushed me, I was stuck,” I say, looking up. He’s already watching me, fully focused on me. “I didn’t know where to go or how to get away, but then they showed up,”
Did you know them?”
I shake my head, remembering the faces of the unfamiliar men.
“N–no. They
y were mad th–that their team lost the game, and they saw me w–wearing your jersey.” I mutter, then regret the words. I don’t want him to think it was his fault.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner. I wish-
I gently press my fingers against his lips, stopping him.
“I’m just glad I didn’t die, Ethan. A fall like that could’ve been really bad if you hadn’t caught me,” I tell him, letting my arms. fall around his neck in a hug. The surprised yet angered look that crosses his face makes me pause.
“Don’t talk like that.”
I pull back a bit, studying his face, “Like what?”
“Don’t talk about dying. I can’t imagine that right now, not after you scared ten years off of my lifespan with that fall,” he growls. “You didn’t die, so I don’t want to hear anymore about it.”
“Why not? Everyone dies eventually,” I tell him, and his eyebrows raise. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to die, but I didn’t think you would react this way.”
He shakes his head and closes his eyes, running a hand through his already messy hair. Lifting my head, I push up and peer into his face just as he opens his eyes.
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Chapter 53
“I don’t want to think about you dead, Fioru. You’re too important to me, and the thought of you gone scares me more than I’d like to admit,” Ethan says. “You’re… you’re not allowed to die anytime soon, got it?”
The finality in his tone surprises me, but I nod. The thought of him caring enough to be scared for me makes my heart
“Well, I still want to thank you for catching me. I didn’t know what was happening and that you were there.”
“Til do whatever I can to keep you safe, Fiona. I’m not sure how but if I’m with you, nothing will happen to you” he promises, and before I can say anything, he leans in
Ethan’s lips fall over mine in a hot, slow kiss, showing me just how much he wants me here with him.
Ө
