Chapter 27
Abigail gets in the passenger seat while I buckle my little sister into her car seat. Jasmine babbles the entire time, either trying to diffuse the tension or completely unaware while I steal glances at Abigail. When I reach the destination, Abigail’s jaw drops. We have wonderful memories at this amusement park.
“Really?” She snaps at me.
“What?” I snap right back.
She pushes at the door and unbuckles Jasmine. They walk hand in hand in front of me.
People openly stare or steal glances at us. I see some elbowing each other, some smiling at them, saying how cute they look. My girls, fuck. I’m in so deep while Abigail feeds me her same bullshit. My patience is wearing thin.
We’re in direct competition at a shooting stand, winning one plush animal after the other, so I have to take several trips to the car. But both of them smile, and when we hop on the Ferris wheel, while Jasmine and she take in the view, I take in Abigail.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?” Like you’re my world. I love you.
I can’t do this shit any longer. She could hurt me again and again, and I would still crawl back to her.
“When is the final race?” she asks.
“Want to get rid of me?”
“Can I?”
“Never.”
Whatever she was going to say is cut off when she clamps her mouth shut.
The moment we’re back on the ground, Jasmine runs in front of us to the food station.
“What did you want to say?” I ask her.
“You know.”
“Look me in the eyes. Here I am, Abigail, dying inside, wanting you so much.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this.”
“Is that what you want me to do? Give you up?”
She stiffens. Her body is the only thing betraying her, the only thing that gives me hope, even as she rips through my heart whenever she can.
“Are you still drawing?”
“Mostly just course-related stuff.”
It physically hurts me that she stopped sketching. I try to lighten the mood and say, “It wasn’t the same without your personal muse in the vicinity?”
A small smile parts her lips, and I tug at my shirt, revealing my abdomen. Her eyes follow the V-line, swallowing hard.
“We both know you like what you see.”
“Can you be any more arrogant?”
“Just the plain truth, princess.”
We order food and carry the trays to a nearby table. She digs right into the chicken nuggets while I analyze every bite she takes.
“I’m good on that part.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but you can’t control my worry.”
After finishing up, we spend the next hour getting on every ride before taking on the bumper cars. They both laugh whenever their car crashes into mine.
“We won, we won,” Jasmine squeals.
Abigail bats her lashes at me, grinning. “And here I thought I’d compete against a professional race car driver.”
“You can watch me any time.”
“You’re a force out there.”
“Have you been watching me?”
A warm feeling settles in my chest when she nods.
I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Be mine, just mine. Let me show you how it could be.”
“I know how it can be, but I can’t.”
“You can’t… Why?”
Fear flashes in her eyes, but she says nothing else. We walk to my car, and I drive back home. Jasmine falls asleep halfway there.
I’m so deep in my thoughts I barely hear her.
“Thank you for today.”
My heart dips into the pits of hell. I grip the wheel and offer a noncommittal sound.