Tristan: Mine, all Mine Book 2(Mature 18+)

Chapter 15

"So, you want to tell me what you were crying about when I called you yesterday?"

Serenity lifted her exhausted head and looked up at Tristan. His eyes held genuine care and concern as he looked at her. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. Her mind was still blown at the experience of being with him and sharing herself with him. It was beyond what wildest dreams and fantasies were made of. And it had all come true with little to no effort.

They were lying upstairs in the bed, their arms and limbs tangled as they cuddled. It had been almost two hours since their rambunctious lovemaking downstairs and they had been mostly quiet since then, only engaging in light small talk as they refreshed themselves with bottled water and ate the remains of the burger and fries she had ordered and failed to eat before he'd gotten there. Serenity didn't know if his silence was a result of those three loaded words she had spoken to him and she didn't want to know. She wanted to forget she'd ever said them. She felt them but she didn't want to scare him off. She knew they needed to take things slow. If he didn't feel the same about her right now, if ever at all, it was okay. Least, that's what she kept trying to convince herself.

Serenity uncomfortably squirmed against him and rubbed her face against his broad shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it."

He absently rubbed her shoulder and kissed her on top of the head. "Are you sure? You sounded pretty upset." He paused when she didn't respond. "I know you don't really know me, but I-"

"I'd say we know each-other pretty well." She wisely looked up at him and smiled.

He grinned back at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "Well yes of course we do in that sense but it doesn't have to stop there. In all seriousness, maybe I can help. I've been told I'm a good listener."

Serenity grimly sighed and laid her head back on his shoulder. She swallowed hard as she felt tears prickling her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so emotional. It wasn't like she wasn't used to her mother deserting her and being so strung out she could care less about her daughter's well-being or where she was. But everything feel different now. Everything. She couldn't help wondering if meeting Tristan and connecting with him had something to do with that.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's complicated Tristan."

"We have all night," he quietly reminded her.

In spite of herself, a contagious grin tickled Serenity's lips at his words. They did have all night. More than that, they had three days. Serenity had wanted to fly through the roof when Tristan told her he was spending three days with her. She literally had seventy-two hours to spend with the man of her dreams. And she was going to take full advantage of it.

Serenity gnawed her lip and pondered for a few minutes. "It's about my mom," she finally said.

"What about her?"

"She's sick. Well, not really sick. I mean, she is, but... Not like terminally or anything. I mean, I suppose it could be if she doesn't get help..."

"What's wrong with her?"

Serenity heavily sighed and closed her eyes, fighting in vain to hold her tears at bay. "She's strung out. On heroin."

Tristan was quiet. Serenity lifted her head to look at him and saw that he was looking down at her with a plaintive, open expression. He didn't look shocked or put off by what she'd said. He was paying attention and waiting on her to continue. The realization of that made her want to start crying again but she held it back.

"It started a long time ago, when I was little," she continued. "I was about eight years old. She started hanging out with this guy Albert. He became her boyfriend and ultimately got her hooked. It was like she became an addict overnight. After that, everything changed."