Chapter 10 #4
Alice sits on the edge with one of my shirts pulled over her, bare legs hanging into the water.
I’m still in the pool, arms crossed on the tile beside her, looking up like she’s something that shouldn’t be allowed this close to me.
She runs her fingers through my wet hair once.
Just once.
Like she doesn’t mean to do it and she might take it back if I mention it.
So I don’t.
“You’re staring,” she says.
“Yeah.”
“Creepy.”
“Maybe a little.”
Her mouth curves, but the smile fades before it can stay.
I hate that too.
I hate how fast the world keeps taking things off her face.
“You’re still going tonight,” she says.
It isn’t a question.
I look at the water between my arms. “Yeah.”
She nods slowly, like she expected that and still hates hearing it.
“Then at least promise me you won’t lose yourself. Don’t let him make you stupid. Don’t let him bring Wraith out..”
My eyes lift and Alice looks down at me, tired and fierce and too fucking breakable for someone who keeps standing in front of monsters with her chin up.
“I mean it,” she says. “Don’t give him the version of you he wants.”
“I’ll try.”
“No.” Her fingers tighten in my hair, just enough to make me feel it. “Do better than try.”
Something in my chest pulls.
“Okay.”
She studies me, maybe deciding if she believes me.
Maybe deciding if she wants to.
Then she leans down and kisses me once, slow and quiet.
This one feels worse than the hungry ones.
Those I know what to do with.
This one gets under my ribs.
When she pulls back, her forehead rests against mine for a second.
“I chose you,” she whispers.
Everything in me stops.
I don’t think she means to say it.
At least not outloud, but she does, and for one second, the whole world narrows down to blue light, chlorine, and Alice’s breath against my mouth.
She kisses me again, softer this time, and when she pulls away, I let her go even though every fucked-up part of me wants to pull her right back.
For a second, neither of us moves.
The pool is quiet around us, water shifting in lazy ripples against the tile, chlorine drying tight on my skin while Alice looks at me with something tired and unreadable on her face.
Then my eyes flick to the clock on the wall.
Fuck.
The warehouse.
Alice sees it before I say anything, and her mouth tightens, but she doesn’t look surprised.
“You have to go,” she says.
I look back at her. “Alice—”
“Don’t.” She lifts a hand, cutting me off before I can turn this into another argument. “Just go.”
“I don’t want to leave you here.”
Her laugh is quiet and sharp, but there’s no real bite left in it. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to need you to stay.”
Fuck that hurts.
She pushes wet hair back from her face and steps toward the shallow end, arms wrapping around herself as she glances toward the locker rooms.
“I’m going to shower, get dressed, and walk home.”
“No.”
Her eyes cut to mine. “Jagger.”
“It’s late.”
“I know what time it is.” She steps closer, close enough that I can see the water still clinging to her lashes, the exhaustion under her eyes, the way she’s holding herself together by force.
“Go deal with whatever this is, Jagger. Just don’t pretend you’re staying because of me, and don’t pretend you’re leaving because of me either. ”
“I fucking hate this.” For a second, all I can do is stare at her.
Then she reaches up and touches my jaw, quick and careful, like she doesn’t want to give herself too much time to think about it.
“Go,” she says. “I can get home on my own.”
I want to argue and tell her no. I want to stand between her and the entire fucking world until nothing can get close enough to leave another mark.
Instead, I nod.
Because right now it doesn’t fucking matter what I want.
This is what she needs..
Because apparently that’s what caring about someone is supposed to look like when you’re trying not to make it ugly.
I climb out first, grab my clothes, and dress with wet skin and shaking hands.
Alice stays in the water, watching me from the pool wall like she’s waiting to see if I’ll change my mind and ruin the small bit of trust she just handed me.
I don’t.
At the door to the hall, I look back.
She’s still there in the blue glow, arms folded on the edge, hair wet around her face. She looks exhausted. Beautiful. Too fucking far away already.
“Jagger,” she says.
“Yeah?”
Her throat moves as she swallows. “Don’t die tonight.”
My mouth twitches, but it doesn’t make it all the way to a smile. “That almost sounded like you care.”
“It was a threat.”
“Got it.”
She holds my gaze for another second, and then turns away first.
I leave before I can walk back to her.
The side door closes behind me with a soft metal groan, and the night air hits my wet hair, cold enough to make my teeth clench. I start toward the warehouse with chlorine drying on my skin and her words sitting heavy in my chest.
Don’t die tonight.
I choose you.
Fuck. I don’t have a goddamn clue what to do with any of it.
I don’t know how to carry something that heavy without turning it into a weapon. All I know is that, after all the bullshit, she fucking chose me, and that changes everything.