Fight For Me (Wilde #1)

Chapter 21

This is back to Elliot's point of view.

Chapter 21

       "Elliot, I have to head to the gym," Dad told me. "You'll be okay?"

       I nodded, gesturning to the ice cream container I held in my hand. Ever since my second argument with Laughlin where he told me to foget everything that happened between us, Dad had been constantly asking if I was okay. Honestly, I didn't know if I was going to be okay, but I was going to have to move on.

       Dad left the house, so I was alone to watch romcoms in the living room, wondering why my life couldn't be like that. There was the whole, girl meets boy, girl gets boy, girl loses boy, girl and boy reunite and get married. But for me, I skipped the girl gets boy stage and I doubt I would reunite with Laughlin. He hated me.

       Halfway through the movie, someone kept knocking repeatedly on the door and they wouldn't stop. I paused the movie and pulled myself off the couch and to the front door.

       I couldn't believe who was standing there. Laughlin.

       "I'm an idiot," he said. "There, I said it. I am a damn idiot for acting the way I did. I sure as hell don't deserve you, but you are the best thing that ever happened to be. Do you know how crapy I felt for falling in love with you while I was dating Mary? You're the only one who understands me and the only one I trusted enough to open up about everything. You never judged me about me or my family. You're always there for me and you know exactly what to say to cheer me up. You're my everything, Elliot."

       I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. He told me to never talk to him again and to forget everything that happened between us, but here he was, dropping everything onto me.

       "I didn't cheat on Mary," Laughlin continued. "She cheated on me because she knew I was falling for you. She didn't like it that you were taking me away without even trying, so she went to the guy I hated the most. That's why she lied to you, because she knew you wouldn't go after me if it meant hurting her."

       Words were somehow lost to me because I couldn't talk. Mary was the one who cheated on Laughlin? And she lied to me about it so I wouldn't go after Laughlin? It made no sense. She didn't want me going after Laughlin, but she was the one pushing him away by cheating on him.

       "I love you, Elliot," Laughlin said, causing me to widen my eyes. "I've loved you for so long and it was time I stopped hiding from my feelings." When I still didn't talk, he continued. "Come on, say something. Anything."

       "I....." I began, but I didn't know how to continue. "You.....you think you can just come here and lay all that on me and everything would be okay?"

       "Well, I was hoping, yeah," Laughlin admitted.

       "You yelled at me," I said. "You got mad at me and you've never done that before. Do you know how scared you made me? It hurt so much to have you yell at me."

       "I know, and I'm sorry," Laughlin said. "I've been broken for five years and you were the one who fixed me. When you thought I would actually cheated on Mary, it broke me again. I am so sorry for yelling at you. Just please......forgive me. I need you in my life. I need you like I need to breathe. I promise that I will never, ever yell at you again. Please."

       I had never seen Laughlin so desparate before. His eyes looked at me, begging for forgiveness. I wanted to, but how would I know if Laughlin wouldn't yell at me again? It hurt so much, more than anything had ever hurt me.