"GET OUT." THE words left my mouth before I could even register what I was saying. I remembered too vividly how our conversation went down last night. I told him I loved him and he brushed my confession off like it was nothing. How stupid did I have to be to fall so hard for a guy who wanted nothing to do with me?
Instead of listening to my humble request, James stood in place, leaning against the doorway as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going anywhere until we talk."
"What's there to talk about?"
His face was emotionless but I knew he was getting annoyed. "Don't act dumb. Why the hell did you go yesterday?"
I turned away from him as much as I could in my cramped up bed, though my feeble attempt didn't make much of a difference. "I told you why." Was he really going to make me say it again? Getting rejected once was more than enough for me.
"You could have died. If I wasn't there..." He paused. "You would have been dead. Or worse."
"I'm not your responsibility, so why do you care?" I spat.
"I still care about you," he said in a steady tone.
"Then why did you leave?"
"Why was your dad here?" he asked, changing the topic.
"Answer my question."
"What did he want from you?"
I was just about ready to rip off my hair. "It doesn't matter. Why did you come?"
"You risked your life for me. The least I could do was make sure you were okay," he answered nonchalantly.
"No." I turned to look at James, and he blinked in surprise from my harsh glare. "The least you could have done was fight for us instead of running away the first chance you got."
"It's more complicated than that," he said.
"Don't bullshit me," I scoffed.
"I never meant to hurt you."
Too little too late because he already did. James had hurt me in ways I didn't even know I could hurt. "You don't love me the way I love you and it's fine, I get it. I don't expect anything in return, I just wanted to help you. So if you're here out of pity or guilt then just leave because I don't need anything from you."
"Dani..."
I raised my hand to silence him. "Don't come in here and try to act all innocent. You broke my heart more than once which is hilarious considering you thought it'd be the other way around." I laughed dryly before pulling my expression back to a straight face. "You can go back to blocking my number and pretending I don't exist because you're dead to me."
"Dani, let meâ"
"Get out," I said firmly. When James didn't move I raised my eyebrows. "I'm sorry, did I stutter?"
"If you're done bitching can I finish?"
I gaped at him. "So you think I'm a bitch now?"
"Yes," he said in such a calm voice I wanted to throw the food tray at him. "Will you let me finish?"
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," I told him bluntly.
James ignored me and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. "You're a bitch."
"Are you asking me to call the nurses and have you kicked out?"
He took a step forward, an uncaring look on his face. "You're impulsive, short-tempered, stubborn, borderline psychotic, blunt, disobedient, rude, a terrible driver, you cuss more than the average person should, you're lazy, insensitive, a bitch if I haven't said that alreadyâ"
"You did," I sneered.
"But," he continued, taking another step toward me.
I folded my arms across my chest. "But what? I get it, I'm a terrible person. If that's all you're here to say then I don't want to hear it."
He arched an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me finish?"
"Depends on what you're going to say next," I huffed.
James sat at the foot of my bed, much to my disliking. I tried to kick him off but as soon as my leg made contact with his body I winced. His forehead creased in concern and he lifted my blanket, pulling up my hospital gown to uncover my stitched up leg. His lips curved in a frown as he examined the wound.
"Don't say anything," I warned before he could guilt himself. At the end of the day I chose to go and I really didn't need any of James' pity.
"Can I continue what I started?" he requested, a taunting look on his face.
"It's not like you're going to listen anyway," I muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"I was going to say despite all of those traits, I've never seen anyone care for me as much as you do," he finished. I blinked in confusion, not expecting those words to come out of his mouth. I didn't know what to say so I remained silent to allow him to continue speaking. "No one would have done what you did for me yesterday. You risked your life just to make sure I'd be able to pay for college. You're the reason I even applied." He paused. "I guess what I'm trying to say is you saw me at my worst and you were still by my side."
"If I'm that allegedly amazingâ"
"I didn't say that."
"Shut up," I snapped. "Then why did you leave?"
James stared down at my stitched up leg as an excuse to avoid looking me in the eyes. "You're too good for me but I'm no good for you."
Seriously? That was what he was going with? "What the hell do you mean?"
"You've pushed me to do things I never would've done. Because of you I have a relationship with my mom again and I'm going to college." He ran a hand through his curly blonde hair. Man, I missed touching his hair. "All I did was cause tensions between your mom and your brother."
"That's not true," I argued.
James shot me a disbelieving look. "There's no point in lying, Dani. Your family doesn't want us together, and I can see why. I'm not up to your standards at all."
"I don't care about how rich you are," I dismissed. Money didn't matter to me in the slightest. Besides, all the money I had was my mom's, not mine.
"It's not just that," he said. "I'm not the easiest person to be with. I'm just as stubborn and difficult, I don't like talking about my feelings, I'm a neat freak, and... Why are you smiling?"
I was unable to conceal the grin forming on my face. "I don't care about any of that, James. I like you for you." Like didn't even begin to express how I felt, but I wasn't ready to be rejected again.
James shook his head and abruptly stood up. "Look, I want the best for you and I'm sorry but it's not me. I'm relieved you're going to be alright, but I should leave."
It felt like time had slowed down as James started to head for the door. I already lost him once and I sure as hell wasn't going to lose him again. Ignoring the nurse's instructions, I flung my legs over the bed and stood up, the blood instantly rushing to my head and making me stagger. I lifted my good leg, the rest of my body shaking from my wobbling injured leg. I let out a gasp, which was enough to make James turn around. He quickly came by my side and placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me.
"You're not supposed to be putting weight on your leg, lay down."
I pushed his hands away. "You can't go."
His lips pulled into a straight line and he looked at me with an unreadable expression. "You're making this harder than it needs to be. Go lay down."
I shook my head. "You're making it harder by giving up."
Instead of replying, James picked me up and placed me on the bed, ignoring my whines of protest. We both knew I was way too weak to fight back right now so I had no choice but to give in. When he put me on the bed, I looped my arms around his neck to stop him from moving.
"Dani, stop it," he sighed.
"We're not giving up on us," I told him firmly.
James opened his mouth to argue but he stopped himself. After spending all these months with me he was smart enough to know just how persistent I could be and that I wasn't letting go if that meant he was leaving. He slowly sat beside me, but I still didn't release my arms from around his neck. James grabbed onto my hand and I was expecting him to remove it, but instead he slid my hand up and pressed it against his cheek. I released my other hand and slipped my fingers in the spaces between his.
"I love you."
He looked away. "Dani, you don't have toâ"
"I'm not expecting you to say it back anytime soon," I told him. "I just wanted you to know."
"Promise you'll never do anything this stupid again?"
"I mean, I don't know..." I froze when I saw the deathly look in his eyes. "Fine, I won't do it again."
"Good." Just like that James moved in and closed the gap between us as he pecked me. His lips were as light as a feather and the kiss was over before I knew it. I tried to hide the disappointment on my face and judging by the amusement on his, I wasn't doing a good job. "I want to be with you, Dani."
"What happened to the time not being right?" I asked, referring to what he said last night.
"The time's never going to be right, but if I keep thinking like that I might lose the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me."
With those closing remarks James lips were back on mine. He pushed my back against the bed frame and snaked his arms around my waist as he deepened the kiss. I dug my hands in his hair, pulling him closer to me. James broke the kiss and planted gentle kisses against my chin and neck before stopping on a spot and sucking the skin, earning a soft moan from me. After way too long without him, I pulled his face back to mine and kissed him senselessly to make up for lost time. We kept going for what felt like hours before I broke the kiss, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I caught my breath.
"Be my girlfriend," he breathed out, our foreheads pressed against each other's.
"What?"
"Be my girlfriend," he repeated.
I tried to play it cool but the dopey smile on my face gave away exactly how I felt. "Is that even a question?"
He had the same goofy grin on his face as he looked down at me. "Is that a yes?"
"Duh!" I kissed him again, feeling all of my worries slip away every time our lips connected.
~*~
My eyes opened when I felt a dull throbbing pain in my leg. I shifted uncomfortably in my bed and sat up as the pain seized my body. My gaze landed on James, who was sitting in the metal chair. Even in the dim lighting I could tell he was wide awake.
"I couldn't sleep," he said before I could ask. His eyebrows furrowed in worry when he saw the grimace on my face. "The nurse dropped off more pills for you when you were asleep. I'm guessing you'd like some?"
"Please. My leg stings like a bitch."
James handed me a small paper cup with assorted pills and a paper cup of water. I gratefully accepted them from him before shoving the pills in my mouth and washing it away with the water. As he took the cups from me, I patted the empty space beside me on my bed. James obliged and laid down beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I rested my head on his chest.
"What's on your mind?" he asked.
I looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
"You never shut up," he scoffed, earning an eye roll from me. "You're thinking about something.
"I was just wondering if you got your motorcycle back."
With my ear pressed against his chest I was able to hear his sigh loud and clear. "After I made sure you got to the hospital I went back to get it but my bike, as well as those thugs, were gone."
I felt terrible for James, I knew how much he loved that stupid hunk of metal. "I'm scared they're going to find me," I admitted.
James pressed his lips against the top of my head. "I'm not letting that happen." It felt good knowing I was in his safety. With James around it really did feel like all of my fears and worries vanished.
"Did you get the money?" I asked.
"No."
I gasped. "At least make my brush with death worthwhile and collect your money."
"It's not worth it." He paused. "I promise I'm done with that. I never want to put your life at risk again. You better not go back to get it either."
"I won't," I assured him.
"Good," he said softly. "I can't lose you."
I snuggled into his chest and James gently stroked my hair. We laid in silence, enjoying the other's presence. I pressed my ear against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. I felt my eyes getting heavy, and as James slowly stopped stroking my hair I knew he was getting sleepy too. Soon, the room was filled with the sound of his light snoring, which was somehow quite calming for me. I slowly wriggled out of my spot and looked at him to make sure he was asleep. When I was certain James was no longer awake I grabbed my phone off of the side table beside my bed and I sent Niko a quick text before returning back to my place, wrapping my arm around James' torso as I rested my head on his chest again. After a few minutes I felt sleep take over my body.