What The Heart Craves (Complete)

Chapter 15 - Part 1

Lacey

It wasn't long before Adonis walked into the kitchen. The sight of him usually made me smile, but after deciding what I was going to do, it made me hurt, especially when he gave me a dimpled smile. I made my best attempt to hide my inner turmoil.

"Hey." He dropped into the empty chair beside me. My father and brother had left, so it was only us and my mom.

I averted my eyes from him. I didn't want him to see that there was something wrong. His hand covered mine.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded my head as I lifted my eyes to his. The plastered smile fixed on my face, I was trying my best not to let him see the sadness I was fighting inside.

His eyes searched mine before he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer. I felt a funny feeling in my arm and I looked down at my hand. It felt like a numbness feeling that spread up my arm from my hand. I flexed it and shook my hand, hoping for it to go away.

"What's wrong?" Adonis was watching me.

"It's my arm. It feels a little numb," I said. I saw the fear in his eyes before he swept it under a mask. He took my arm into his hands. He rubbed it, hoping to increase the blood flow.

I could feel my time slipping through my fingers. The side effects were happening more often, which meant the tumor was still growing.

After a few minutes, my arm returned to normal. The doorbell rang. I hadn't been expecting anyone, and I looked to my mom.

"I'm not expecting anyone." She was busy doing the dishes.

I got up to answer the front door. It was Link. He looked every inch a rocker who could have any girl he wanted. He was tall, dressed in a black shirt with jeans.

"Lacey," he said, and I smiled. He looked preoccupied and agitated, which I wasn't used to.

"Hi." I stepped back so he could enter.

"Is he here?" he asked, and I nodded my head. I shut the front door and led the way to the kitchen.

At the sight of Link, Adonis' jaw tightened. He wasn't happy to see his bandmate.

"Hi," Link greeted my mom before turning his attention to Adonis, who had risen. The atmosphere turned tense, I couldn't decipher what passed between the two of them.

"What are you doing here?" Adonis barely kept his anger at bay.

"We need to talk." Link rubbed his brow, but he had a determined glint in his eye.

"We can talk in the living room," Adonis told him, and they left the kitchen.

I was witnessing the repercussions of my tumor on his life. This was only the first time, but what about the next time or the time after that?

"What's that about?" my mom asked, and I shrugged like I didn't know. I didn't want to admit to my mom that I'd eavesdropped on their conversation, so it was easier to pretend I didn't know.

Link was here to talk some sense into him, and I hoped he succeeded. I sat down at the kitchen table for a few minutes sipping some tea. Sounds of heated voices pulled my attention to my mom, who was looking to the doorway with concern.

"I'll go," I told my mom. This was about me and I'd hoped that they would have sorted it without me having to interfere, but clearly that wasn't happening. The closer I got, the louder the voices were.

"I don't have to explain anything!" I'd never heard Adonis so angry before, I hesitated and then pushed forward.

"How can you say that?" Link sounded exasperated. "Of course you do."