Stay With Me (Merome)

Chapter 26

Mitch's POV

Jerome pulled back slightly, and he winced as his eyes caught mine. "I'm sorry about your cheek, how is it?" All due honesty, it hurt like hell. Since when was Jerome so strong?

I bit back a cry of pain and looked at him sheepishly. "It's fine. Nothing more than I deserved, I guess."

"I'll get you something. Be right back." Jerome rushed off hastily, and I stood there. How could he bear to forgive me shattering his heart, time after time after time.

He returned in split seconds, holding a misty bag of peas. "Eat them up, if you wish. They're also green, so they're healthy too!" He laughed, and I bit my lip as it stirred a memory of Lia teasing me about green things. It all felt like a surreal dream, those times with her. Who was she now? Troublemaker? Heart-breaker? Maybe just a little misguided? I didn't know.

Jerome pressed the bag up to my cheek lightly, and the cold frost thawed on my face. His thumb lightly brushed my cheekbone. "That's going to leave a bruise."

"At least it didn't break."

"... yeah." Jerome sighed dramatically. He sat on the couch, and I took a seat next to him, hand on the bag. "What are we going to do, Mitch?"

"What do you mean?"

"About Lia..."

"Uh. I'll talk to her?" I asked, and Jerome blinked. "Yeah. Talk."

"Oh haha." I drawled, and Jerome shook his head. "No, actually. I want this problem sorted before we move on." He stated firmly. I felt pricks of anger rise, and unsuccessfully tried to push them down. "Well, what do you want me to do? Walk up to her and ask her nicely to go away?" I asked sarcastically. Jerome considered it. "It's a start."

"I'm not going to do it." I retorted, and Jerome snorted angrily. "Well, any other ideas? I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I'm not meant to just get over finding your lips on someone else's, and no I do not care who started it! Last time I checked, you got very mad to find Lia kissing some dude." I stood there, searching for my argument, and Jerome used that time to keep going. "It's hard enough knowing you've kissed, but to also know you love her on top of that? It's a recipe for heartbreak, and I'm done with that right now!"

"Uh huh. Didn't seem to bother you when you weren't the one getting hurt though." I replied hotly, and Jerome narrowed his eyes. "Last time I checked, you didn't care either. Then again, I guess, with all these hearts to break, you're finally deciding which one." He snarled venomously. The air has changed so quickly, a caring one to a spiteful one, and it fuelled the resentment bubbling in me. "I never tried to break hearts! All I tried to do was spare them!"

"Yeah, well you sure spared my one." Jerome spat. By now, we'd stood up, and Jerome's face was angry, mimicking mine. The cold bag of peas fell to the floor. "Well I'm sorry, I didn't ask for my best friend to fall in love with me! I didn't even ask to fall in love with him. But, while we're at it, tell me, how was your time with Jasmine and Louise? Did they know that they never stood a chance with you?" I asked spitefully, and Jerome's face turned crimson. "They knew exactly what they were getting into."

"But you didn't?"

"I tried to fall for them, but I could never stop loving you!"

"Oh my, I can see why they left! And you call me the heartbreaker..." I jeered and shook my head, and Jerome flushed a deeper shade of red. "I knew enough to think you were the same person I fell in love with, but I now can see how blind I was."

"Oh. Oh really?"

"I tried to stop loving you! I tried to change what I felt, so that you'd never have to know, to never get hurt! Obviously, you don't feel the same about me though, because you're just so willing to break my heart!" Jerome spat. "What about me!? I'm still coming back from a relationship which hurt me!"

"Yeah, but what I feel for you has been hurting me for over half my life!" Jerome screeched in reply, and I winced inside. The idea stung, and maybe it was that that struck the venom in me. "If you don't like it, then leave! I'm certainly not begging you to stay!" I roared, and Jerome stiffened. A tear made its way down his face, leaving one single trail, overlapping the previous ones. "If that's what you really think, then fine." He said, voice now usually high.

He ran away, and I heard his unusually heavy footfalls upstairs. I didn't follow though, but merely stood there, panting furiously, as he walked above me. I left him to sulk for a while, both of us still angry. I floundered a little after that, then decided what to do. Pulling out my phone, I texted Lia, asking to meet her.

I actually hate that I'm constantly writing Mitch as the villain/bad guy/he is so awesome. Why! WHYYYYYY!?!?!?? This is actually bothering me. Like. I want to punch a wall.

Amber