Rejected At First Sight (Spinoff Series)

34

Ash

"Ash!" Jay's voice penetrated my thoughts.

I look around, realizing that I am completely surrounded by trees. Jay walks toward me, but I can't focus on his face. "Get away from me." I say, my voice coming out weak and out of breath.

Jay stops a few feet away from me. "I'm sorry." He says.

I squeeze my fingers into a tighter fist, letting out a mangled scream as I punch a nearby tree. My knuckles instantly erupted in pain, the fire racing up my wrist.

Suddenly I am swept away from the tree, my other fist swinging in the air. "No!" I scream, fighting against Jay's arms. "Let go of me!"

"You're going to hurt yourself." Jay said icily, his chest a wall of solid muscle behind me.

"Let go!" I wailed, the tears coming out of my eyes.

I pulled and jerked against Jay's strong arms, trying to get out of his grasp. "I know it hurts." Jay says softly, his grip not faltering.

"Let me go!" I scream again, but my body fails to fight against him any longer. "Let me go." I choked on a sob, my voice failing me as I collapsed. Jay's arms scoop me up before I could hit the ground, he holds tightly onto me as we sit on the forest floor.

"I know." Jay says, his hands holding me tightly. "I know."

I hate the few tears that escape my eyes, every silent sob that wracks my body, every shake that sends tremors through my hands. I hate that I'm so weak. So helpless.

Jay's hand moves to my head, smoothly running his fingers down the length of my hair in soothing strokes.

I gasped in breath after breath, willing the air to enter my lungs. Jay brushed two fingers under my chin and guided my face up to look at him. His ocean blue eyes searched my face. Jay lifts a thumb and traces my cheekbone.

"Can you t- take me home?" I stutter unattractively.

Jay doesn't say anything, he only pulls me into his chest, resting my head in the crook of his neck, his chin resting on top of my head. His arms snake around me and hold me tightly to him. I let out a shuddering breath as his fingertips dig into my skin protectively.

Home was the last place I wanted to be right now, but I had nowhere else to go.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Jay asks me.

I let out a breath of air as I pull away from him, Jay reluctantly dropping his arms from around me. I let out a breath of laughter, crude and without a smile. My fingers fold into fists. "If I don't, things will only get worse."

Jay shakes his head and grabs my hand. His eyes seared into mine. "You've barely processed this." He brings his other hand over to my lap so he is grasping both my hands. Jay's eyes pleaded me to listen to him, his face showing his concern and worry. "It's like we were talking about earlier. Sticking your neck out for the benefit of others isn't your job." Jay tugs on my hands. "You're parents are the ones that have to figure this out."

I blink down at our connected hands and pull away from him to rub at my face. "What am I supposed to do, Jay?"

"I'll take you to my house." He says like it's the most obvious thing ever.

"What?" I say, stunned.

Jay instantly starts to persuade me. "We have plenty of extra rooms, and besides, you won't have to be alone."

I shake my head and stand up, brushing off my knees as I do so. "I don't want to be a burden." I look into the woods, trying to identify any landmarks that might signal the way back to civilization. Jay opens his mouth but I start talking before he can do so. "I'm fine. I just want to go home." I lie through my teeth, and by the look that Jay gives me, he can read me like an open book.