Broken

Chapter 19

Aurora's POV

Rhys kept placing soft kisses everywhere. I felt him tense up every time he placed a kiss on one of the bite marks on my neck or my shoulder. But he was so gentle, especially when he kissed one of the bite marks and I never wanted him to stop. They hurt less after his kisses.

I almost fell asleep on his shoulder. It was the first time I felt relaxed since it happened.

A knock on the door made me flinch a little. I was already half-asleep.

"It's okay, princess," Rhys said softly. "It's just Sebastian. He made you something to eat."

I wasn't hungry.

I heard the door open and Rhys moved his hands so I could get off his lap. I didn't really want to.

"Hey, Rory," Sebastian said quietly. "I made grilled cheese and tomato soup. Your favorite."

I looked at the tray in his hands and saw a bowl of tomato soup and a plate with two grilled cheese sandwiches on it.

"I'm not hungry," I mumbled as I stood up and sat down next to Rhys.

Sebastian sighed and placed the tray on my nightstand.

"You need to eat, Rory," he said. "When was the last time you ate?"

I didn't respond. I didn't want to and I didn't remember.

"Rory...," Sebastian spoke, but I interrupted him.

"Don't call me that," I said, keeping my eyes on the tray.

Sebastian took a deep breath.

"Can you give us a minute, Rhys?" Sebastian asked.

I didn't want Rhys to leave.

"Yes," Rhys said as he leaned in and kissed my temple. "I will be downstairs."
I wanted to look at him and tell him to stay, but I couldn't. Something was stopping me, but I had no idea what.

Rhys stood up and walked out of my room. Sebastian sat next to me and took another deep breath. He cupped my cheeks and made me look at him.

I didn't like what I saw on his face. It was sadness and fear. I didn't like it, but I didn't know what to do about it. I wished I could take it away, but I also wished I didn't care about it.

"I am not going to stop calling you Rory," Sebastian said. "I told you that already."

He caressed my cheeks with his thumbs and moved his hands away. He put them on his lap and clenched his fists.

"Why?" I mumbled. "You hadn't called me that in four months. Why start now?"

Sebastian tightened his jaw.

"I hadn't called you that in four months because I was an idiot," he said, his voice laced with guilt. "I made a mistake, but I want to correct it, Rory. I am not trying to pretend like nothing happened. I am trying to show you that I love you more than anything or anyone else. I am trying to show you that I regret it."

I studied his face for a moment. I decided to ask him a question that had been on my mind since the moment I found out why he stopped talking to me.

"Why was it so easy for you to leave me?" I asked, making his eyes widen.

"It wasn't!" he exclaimed, shaking his head furiously. "It was horrible, Rory. I..."

He stopped talking and took a deep breath.

"I was so fucking angry and so fucking hurt," he continued, furrowing his eyebrows. "I wanted to talk to you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I thought about what I would say to you. I thought about all the ways I could approach you and ask you, but I was just so fucking scared to do it."

He clenched his jaw and I saw tears form in his eyes.

"I don't think I ever believed it, Rory," he added quietly. "Not really. But I was so fucking scared to talk to you about it because I was scared that you would tell me it was true. I didn't want it to be true."

A tear fell on his cheek and I instinctively reached out to wipe it away.

"I spent almost every night in your room," he continued, his voice breaking. "I would wait until you would fall asleep and I would come in here and I would talk to you a bit until I went back to my room."

He closed his eyes and shook his head again.

"It wasn't easy," he mumbled. "It was everything but easy."

He bent his head down and took a deep breath. My heart clenched. He was my twin and I loved him with my whole heart. Watching him in pain was making me want to scream.

I tried to take a deep breath, but it was hard. Sebastian looked up at me.

"I know it will take some time for you to forgive me, Rory," he said quietly. "But I will be right here by your side until you do."

I sighed and looked down at my lap.

"You will be able to forgive me, right?" Sebastian asked, his voice trembling.

My stomach twisted painfully. I looked up at him and gulped. I decided to be completely honest with him. I realized something when Dad asked if I wanted to go to Los Angeles with him and Mom and I needed Sebastian to know.

"I wasn't sure if I would," I mumbled and I saw fear explode in his eyes.

He reached out to grab me, but I stopped him.

"Let me finish," I said and he put his hands back on his lap. "I wasn't sure if I would, but I realized that I was wrong about that."

I could see Sebastian shaking.

"I realized it when Dad said that they wanted to take me to Los Angeles," I continued. "I can't imagine being away from you that long. You were right when you said that they were never really here. It was always you and me and I don't want to go through this without you. I feel safest with you. I always did. Even when you weren't speaking to me, I knew that you would never let me get hurt."

Sebastian nodded. "Never, Rory, never."

I was angry at him and our relationship needed a lot of fixing, but I wanted to stay here with him. I felt safer with him than with anyone else. That never changed.

Sebastian nodded and another tear fell on his cheek. I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"But it won't happen overnight, Sebastian," I added. "I need time."

Sebastian nodded immediately.

"I will give you as much time as you need, Rory," he said. "I will be right by your side and I won't stop showing you how sorry I am and how much I love you. I am not expecting anything back, Rory. Not until you are ready."

I nodded and Sebastian breathed out in relief. He gave me a small smile.

"Can I hug you?" he asked. "Please."

I nodded and he practically threw himself at me.

"Thank you, Rory, thank you," he mumbled as he kissed my temple. "I love you."

I hugged him back and closed my eyes. It felt so good to be back in his arms. I missed him terribly. The past four months were hell.

But I was still angry. I still couldn't hug him back the way I normally would. I still couldn't tell him I loved him back. The anger I felt was stopping me.

"Okay," he said as he let me go after a few moments. "Food."

He turned around and picked up the tray.

"I'm not..." I spoke, but he interrupted me.

"I don't care," he said, placing the tray on my lap. "You need to eat. At least a little bit."

I sighed and looked at the food on the tray. I did look good. I picked up a grilled cheese sandwich and looked up at Sebastian.

"Thank you," I said and he smiled.

"Always, Rory," he mumbled as he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "I will always take care of you."