Consequences

Chapter 21

Lucy's POV

"Lucy!" someone calls and I freeze when I turn around and see him a few feet away from me.

Tears fill my eyes and I fall to the ground, crying. Seconds later his arms are around me and he's kissing my head, telling me everything is going to be ok, that he's here now and that no matter what happened, we're going deal with it together.

I know I shouldn't have left. I know I should have been an adult and stayed there, talked to him and told him everything but I let my emotions get the best of me and somehow ended up here. I know we have a lot to talk and I will never be able to tell him how sorry I am for all of this or how thankful I am that he didn't give up and came after me but right now, I wanna focus on the way his arms feel around me and on the sound of his heartbeat. This is my safe place and in his arms, I know that no matter what happens, everything is going to be ok.

The feeling of Ian's hand wiping away my tears brings me back to reality. "I'm so sorry," I whisper.

"I know you are." He says and kisses my head before getting up and pulling his hand out to help me stand up. He then picks up my suitcase and Elvis' travel bag and we leave the airport.

Minutes later, we're on our way home and even though I've been trying to avoid eye contact by looking outside the window, the uncomfortable silence in the car is killing me so I turn around to face Ian. When I look at him, I notice the sadness in his eyes, how tired he looks – as if all his energy was sucked out of him. It's obvious that this situation affected him way more than he's willing to admit and I wish he would talk to me, even scream at me. I need him to tell me what he's feeling, even if it hurts me. Anything would be better than this silence and I consider trying to start a conversation but end up deciding against it and turning around again, trying to focus on something else and not to think about what's going to happen when we get home.

I am deeply sorry and feel really ashamed of what I did today. Hurting him was the last thing I wanted to do and I hope he knows that. I was scared, felt trapped and had no idea what to do about the news I'd just gotten so I ran away. I now know that my actions only made things worse and I have no idea what I'm going to do if he leaves me. I can only hope he understands why I did what I did and forgives me because even though I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to leave, I am going to need him by my side. I can't do this alone and just the thought of that happening breaks my heart.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Ian asks, concerned, and I look at him, confused, before I feel the tears on my face.

"I'm sorry it's... I was just... I-" I stutter, wiping away the tears.

"Luce," he says and takes my hand in his, "it's going to be ok. We're going to find a way to deal with what happened. We always do." He says and I calm down when I realize that we still have a chance and that he seems willing to listen to me.

"Thank you." I whisper.

(...)

"Here." Ian says and gives me a cup of tea before sitting down beside me.

"Thanks." I reply and take a deep breathe, preparing myself for what's about to happen "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about what happened today. Please believe me when I say I didn't mean to hurt you. I wasn't thinking straight back then and I let my emotions control my actions and I had no idea what to do. I know you probably hate me right now but pl-"

"I don't hate you, Goose. I could never hate you." He cuts me off and takes both my hands in his, "I'm not mad at you, I'm just worried. I would be lying if I said I wasn't mad when I realized you weren't coming to the date, but when I stopped to think I quickly realized that you would never do something like that without a reason to. I knew something was going on and I knew I had to find you. And I did. You're here, you're safe and I'm not going to force you to tell me anything you don't want to, but I hope you trust me enough to share what happened with me. Did something happen while you were out with Janelle earlier today? Did I do something? Did I say something?"