Less than Perfect

23. New Beginnings {part two}

Infuriated, he clenched his jaw, gave her hair a painful tug, and pinned her by the shoulders, haggard breath bathing her face as he came in contact with it. "Oh but I think I do," he whispered harshly. "In fact—I deserve her more than that delinquent Julian. He's not good for her; but I am. I can give her everything she could ever wish for. I can make everything better."

"No, Johnny," she snapped. "You're wrong. You are the one who's not good for her, because all you ever do is hurt her. And if you really wanted to make everything better—you wouldn't be doing this. You wouldn't be trying to take her away from everything and everyone she cares about. Instead, you'd let me go, leave her alone, and turn yourself in. That's when you'll be giving her everything she could ever wish for."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He squeezed her shoulders, the pressure of his fingers bruising her. "Skye belongs with me. Ican make her happy."

"Happy?" she scoffed, spitting at him. "She'll never be happy with you, Johnny! You're nothing but sick, repulsive filth! And you can go to h—"

His hand silenced her, striking her face with incredible force, driving it to the side. He stepped back, chest heaving, hand shaking; his rage had passed its boiling point. He couldn't look away from her; surprised by her sudden outburst, he stared at her, trying to figure out what he would do to her next. He didn't want to hurt her again, but he wasn't about to let her get away with her disrespect either.

"You shouldn't have said that, Rachel," he sneered, stepping towards her again. "Disrespect like that only brings misfortune." She whimpered, shaking her head slowly. "And I'm not finished with you yet." He took that last step and pulled her face towards him. "While you are here, under my control, you will learn to keep your mouth shut. If you don't—I'll have to punish you."

"No please," she begged. "Don't hurt me again. I—I didn't mean to—"

He pressed a finger to her lips, hushing her. "Promise me you'll behave," he murmured, pulling a thin, sharp pocketknife from his jeans. "Promise me you'll behave, and—in return—I'll promise not to hurt you too badly."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at the knife numbly, whispering, "I'll behave, Johnny. I promise."

He sighed, relieved, and a small, satisfied smile crept up his lips as he said, "Don't scream. This may sting a little."

COMING OUT OF a clearing in the woods, Skye stumbled upon the waterfall, froze in her tracks, and took a quick intake of breath. She stared at the hunched over figure atop the boulder, tossing pebbles in the water carelessly, paying no attention to the world around him. Her heart started pounding; insides throbbing as a knot clenched tight in her stomach. She stifled a sob, knowing it was him—Jules. He was there, right in front of her, only mere feet away. All she had to do was gain enough courage to call out to him, find out why he'd left her, and heal her tainted heart.

Throat dry, constricting on the words, she croaked out a weak, "Jules?"

At the sound of her voice, the figure startled, turning towards her. The moment she saw him, Jules, the boy she was in love with, her heart missed a beat. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles and redness, a clear sign of distress, as he stared at her in surprise. "Skye?" he breathed, running a hand through his hair nervously. "What are you doing here? I mean—why did you come after me? I thought—"

She stepped forward, her legs wobbling, hands shaking, heartbeat pulsing in her ears. "I had to see you. I mean—I couldn't just wait for you to come back. You left me, and I had no idea when or if you'd be back, so I went looking for you." She took a long, shaky breath, trying to steady her unstable body.

Jules's gaze drifted past her for a moment before returning, face contorted in an expression she couldn't decipher. "You brought Victor with you?"

She felt her cheeks go hot, though she didn't understand why, and spun around, finding Victor right behind her, watching Jules. "Y—yes," she stammered. "He wouldn't let me go alone."

Something crossed Victor's face for a moment—something she wished she hadn't seen—before quickly being replaced with a small, charming smile as his gaze ventured down to her. "She insisted to find you, Jules. I wasn't about to stand in her way."

Spinning back around, Skye swallowed hard, overwhelmed with a wave of nausea. The nature around her started to whirl, vision gone blurry, heart hammering uncontrollably, knees gone week. This can't be happening, she chanted inside her head. Feeling the tense energy between Jules and Victor, knowing something was going incredibly wrong, wishing she was strong enough to handle everything, as she lost her balance and sank to the ground.

"Skye!" she heard Jules call out above her, vaguely, as if in the distance. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Say something, trouble—please."

Struggling to form words, she mumbled, "I—I'm fine." Longing for Jules's touch, his warmth, and the security of simply being with him, she reached out her hand. The moment fingers entwined with hers, she gasped, a new wave of energy coursing through her veins. Tears trickled down her cheeks, her voice faltering as she spoke. "You left me." She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to look him in the eyes, afraid that she would give in too soon. "You really left me—alone."

She could feel him there, beside her, his breath bathing her face, his hands holding hers, warmth radiating even in the harsh, cold rain. "I know," he whispered, voice low and worn down. "And I'm so, so sorry I left you, Skye. I shouldn't have hurt you like that; you didn't deserve it." He touched her cheek, tingles of warmth prickling the skin underneath his touch. "If it's possible, I'd like to make it up to you. Because if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I screwed up. I made a reckless decision running away from you like that, and all I can do now is hope that you'll find it in your heart to forgive me; even if I don't deserve it."

Trembling, she opened her eyes, met his gaze. "You did hurt me," she whispered. Rain cascaded down upon her, body shivering in the cold. "But I forgive you. And I'd love it if you could make it up to me. Maybe tell me why you left in the first place?"

He sighed heavily, a smile spread across his lips, as he pulled her into his arms. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, trouble. Just not here, okay? Let me take you home first."

Despite the weight that was still on her shoulders, she felt relieved. Jules still cared about her, wanted to tell her the truth. She wouldn't have to worry about being left in the dark for much longer. Gripping his shirt in her fingers tightly, she smiled, and forgot about all the troubling things still in her life, focusing on Jules instead. Focusing on his voice, his touch, his warmth, his care, his love for her—everything.

"I love you, Skye." He kissed her head, holding her against him as he stood up. "I promise not to leave you like that ever, ever again. I'll be with you as long as you want me."

With his words still ringing in her ears, she smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him, passionately. He kissed her back with the same passion, holding her waist as she straddled him, ignoring Victor all together. The moment their lips had met, they'd forgotten about everything else, leaving it all in the background.

Pulling away for breath, Jules cupped her face in his hands, kissed her once more, and pressed his forehead against hers. "Let's get out of here. We have a lot to talk about." He winked, sending flutters in her stomach. "It'll be difficult. But for you—I'd do anything."

Unsure of what else to say, she murmured a quick "Thank you", curled into him, and tried to block her mind from everything but Jules. He was all she wanted, all she needed. And she was finally back with him again. He still loved her, still wanted her, and was ready to open up to her, tell her about his past, giving her everything she could ever wish for.