Page 18 of Storm's Deliverance

“No, I will make it up to you. I promise. I won’t drink again. That person last night wasn’t me. You know that.”

“I could have you arrested for assault. “Worse, I could tell my family what happened,” I remind him, although by the state of him I imagine he’s spent most of the night worrying about exactly that. Good, I hope he lost sleep over it.

“I know. God, I know,” he says, his voice almost a whimper. “I will attend meetings, and I will not touch a drop of drink. I will prove to you that last night was the result of drink. Not me.” He pauses, his eyes pleading with mine, swimming with guilt. “Please just give me a chance.”

I swallow, not trusting him, nibbling on my bottom lip. If I went back home now, it would raise suspicions. It would result in questions being asked; it would result in Zeke being hung up while Uncle Rage cuts off his fingers one by one, and while the anger in me wouldn’t mind that right now, the reality of it is I still love him. I’m angry at him and would love for him to be punished, but not like that.

“I will sleep in the spare room until I feel I can trust you again. If you think it’s that bad and you need to go to meetings, then go before it gets out of hand. If it’s the drink, like you say it is, you need help. Only when I feel safe, we will talk about it,” I state, laying down the terms.

He nods. “And my terms?” he asks, pausing.

I arch my brow. “I’m sorry, what?” I ask, stunned.

He clutches his hands together, resting them on the table. “I need to learn to trust you. It may have just been a kiss to you, but it devastated me…”

He goes to continue, but I cut him off. “If you are about to say what I think you are, that my actions are what caused you to behave in such a way, then I will leave right now. I apologised,and we could have sat down like adults and talked it over. Instead, you got violent,” I rant, feeling my anger beginning to build.

“No, I’m not. I’m not,” he rushes out, sighing. “I just I need you to maybe just stay away from him, from your family for a little while. Just while we work on us. That’s all.”

The thought of not seeing my family causes my stomach to sink. “I’m not going to tell them if that’s what you are worried about.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not that, and I wouldn’t be mad if you did. I just think we could spend time together. Just us. Learn to trust each other again,” he suggests, his face soft and pleading.

“Fine, but I will still need to call them and FaceTime, or my mom will send the entire club around for me.” I sigh. “I will just say I’m on back-to-back shifts or something,” I say, anxiously nibbling my bottom lip, hating the thought of lying to them. Sure, I’ve lied to them in the past, but it was to go to parties or see a boy. This felt different somehow.

He exhales a relieved breath and smiles. “Can I kiss you?” he asks hesitantly.

I give him a small nod and lean forward slightly over the table. He leans closer, his lips lightly brushing over mine. His scent, the comfort I’ve felt for so long, is now mixed with a distant fear. I would fight him if I had to. I would stand up for myself. It was how I was raised, but the fear that lingers—the fear that he might hurt me again—petrifies me.