Strings Attached (Harry Styles FanFiction)

26. 'Good Enough'

A/N: Cassie/Adrien Edit in the Sidebar!

“Please, Cassie. I’m so sorry,” Adrien breathed, His usually deep voice broken and fading.

“Why... Why did you do it?” I whispered. The emotional trauma from the last week was too much. I couldn’t handle it anymore and the tears that I’d held in were finally breaking free.

“I-... I honestly don’t know... I don’t think I knew how to love you... I still don’t. You’re so strong and willful. You never do as you’re told and I guess- I guess I just thought that I’d lose you to someone better... I guess I have now though,” He laughed, hysterically raking His fingers across close cropped blonde hair, “I hate myself every day for what I did to you... what I’m still doing. I-I don’t expect you to ever forgive me. I just need you to know how sorry I am.”

I didn’t know what to say. What can you do when everything you know suddenly crashes down around you? What can you do when the monster you loved repents and the Angel that saved you transforms into your tormenter?

Cassie’s POV:

I sat there, staring at the rapidly cooling drink in my hands.

“Please, Cass, say something... anything.” I jerked away when, suddenly, His hand came up to cup my cheek.

“Don’t. You don’t get to touch me. You never get to fucking touch me,” I hissed, glaring at Him as hot tears streaked continuously down my cheeks. Before, I would have never spoken to Him like that. I would have been scared shitless just knowing that there would be a nightmarish flower blooming under my skin for every cross word spoken, but I’d had enough.

I was so damn tired of crying. Tired of crying over bruised flesh and broken bones. Tired of crying over the terrors that woke me up every night. I was tired of crying over Harry, and I most certainly was tired of crying over Adrien.

He sat back on his heels, golden eyes somber as I struggled to staunch the steady flow of tears. God, why had I agreed to come here in the first place? Why had I agreed to stay? 

The smiling couple taunted me. The girl’s bright eyes laughing maniacally in my face, the boy’s possessive posture and loving gaze a steady reminder of what I’d lost...

 A small but irritating voice in my subconscious kept talking to me, whispering that I could have it all back. Adrien had been that for me once. Harry had been that for me a couple of very long days ago. Maybe the thing that kept screwing everything up didn’t have anything to do with the guys at all. Maybe it had everything to do with me. I was the only link between the two, I was the thing that kept fucking everything up.

“Christ,” I sobbed, clutching my heart as the ache there grew with my sudden realization. I couldn’t choke back the sobs anymore. They were in full force.

It was me.

I was the reason that everything kept falling apart. 

I was the only link between my past and present.

It was all me.

“Cassie, please,” Adrien’s voice sounded so far away, “Please, Sweetheart, just please breathe,” He pleaded, leaning forward, His massive hands resting on either side of me on the couch. I didn’t have the strength or the energy to push him away. I knew that I should’ve, I just couldn’t.

I was so tired of fighting. Whatever happened to happily ever afters? Why couldn’t I just have mine already? Hadn’t I been through enough? Was a happy ending really so much to ask?