ANDREW'S POV
I was definitely faster at editing photos that I was pretending to be. I just wanted to keep Pierra in the room with me for as long as I could. I would never get a chance like the one presented before me so I had to make sure that I took full advantage of it. I had not expected her to knock at my door, nor had I anticipated that she would stick around to wait for the photos. She wasn't even rushing me like most customers would but she wasn't acknowledging my presence either. She was just lying on the floor scrolling through her phone as she listened to music on her airpods.
I wanted her to talk to me but each time I tried she shut me down fast. Pierra had always been nice to others and to me too for those few moments that we were getting along. I had no idea she had a feisty side to her that made her shut people like me who hurt her up. Her sharp and witty tongue was allowing me to see a side of her that I'd never seen before and I didn't exactly hate it.
When she had brought me food and actually remembered my favorite soda I had felt hopeful then she had to crush my hope by telling me she had just been doing what any decent human being would. She was putting on the mask that she had on with everyone else around me and it was breaking my heart. She had been so free on our date but then I had to mess that up and now she would probably never open up to me again. I probably didn't deserve it anyway.
"I have to go return the dishes, do you need me to bring you anything?"She asked and I turned my gaze to face her.
"No I'm good."I replied watching her as she gathered up all the utensils we had used.
"Okay."She replied shortly leaving the room.
She had already fed me without asking me for my half of the money to pay for the meal. There's no way I was going to ask her for anything else.
I started transferring all the edited images and videos to a flash drive as I finished up editing the last few pictures. I had already kept her long enough and she had been patient but there was no need to keep her around if we weren't going to talk.
Our conversation from the previous night was clearly not going to continue and she wasn't going to allow me to apologize so I decided to just leave her alone. She had drunk alcohol because of me and probably said words she never meant to because I made her angry and I didn't want to go through that again. Pierra deserved to be happy with a guy who her brother approved of and wasn't afraid to fight for her and that was clearly not me. It hurt thinking like that but there was nothing I could do about it.
Pierra came back into the room five minutes later and resumed her position on the floor. Everytime she had been in my room it had been under tense uncomfortable situations. For once I hoped she would be there for the right reasons but I had lost that chance. I would love to have a movie night with her or just lie on the bed talking all night. I would love to know what kind of music she loved so we could listen to it together.
The kiss we had shared on our date had been haunting my mind and I wanted to feel her lips on mine again. When I closed my eyes I could remember just how soft they had been against mine and recall just how sweet she tasted. I wanted Pierra with every fiber of my being but I had already messed up and Bishop would never approve. He'd made that perfectly clear by getting me hospitalized for two weeks.
I looked at the last picture I was editing and gave myself a thumbs up for the perfect shot. It was of Bishop cutting his cake with Pierra on one side and his girlfriend on the other. Everyone was singing happily all smiles except for Pierra who looked sad and out of place. She had a fake smile on for the sake of her brother but neither him nor anyone else noticed. Her brother was happy next to her but she was miserable and that one picture put everything into perspective for me. How could I allow Ivy to continue being so miserable while her brother was living his dream life unscathed of the ruin he was making of his sister's life.
Telling her the truth would ruin me and possibly her relationship with her brother but I was beyond caring. Bishop deserved to get hurt and feel even a fraction of what I did when he beat me up and warned me off his sister. Ivy deserved to be happy and I hoped that after I told her the truth, we could fix things and hopefully try again. Now I just had to figure out the best way to approach the discussion.
After I was done editing and had transferred everything to the flash drive I turned around to face Pierra. She noticed me move and looked up from her phone.
"Are you done?"She asked and I nodded getting worked up about what I was about to tell her.
"Yeah thanks for being patient."I found myself saying instead of telling her what was really bothering me.
"Your work is good and I'm sure it doesn't take two minutes to create such master pieces."She replied getting up and I started freaking out.
She wanted to leave yet I hadn't told her what was really in my heart.
"Before you leave can we talk?"I requested handing over the flash drive to her.
I wanted her to know it was her choice if she wanted to stay and listen to me or leave. Holding the flash drive would make her feel trapped and like she had no option and I didn't want that.
"We already talked, you said what you had to and I heard you. What more do you want to say that you didn't then?"She asked looking impatient but at least she wasn't leaving.
"The truth."I declared and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"What truth?"She questioned crossing her hands over her chest.
"It was your brother."I confessed in one big breathing risking my life all over again.
If she confronted Bishop he would come for me and I would probably not survive this time but I didn't care. I wanted Pierra to be happy with me because I knew I was capable of making her happy but for that to happen I had to tell her the truth first.
"What do you mean it was my brother?"She asked looking confused.
I sighed scratching my forehead nervously and decided to just go for it and tell her the whole truth from the beginning.
"On the night of our date I was going home when he and his goons tried to run me over. I swerved off the road and landed on a fence after falling of the bike. Bishop got out of the car, threatened me and had his goons beat me up mercilessly except for my face, probably so as to help me hide what happened from you better. A woman going home from work saw the incident and screamed but I passed out and woke up three days later in the hospital. I lost a lot of blood and broke two ribs so I was there for two weeks then spent two more healing at Cass' house. I had to sell one of my cameras to pay for the damages on the bike and cover the medical bills."I explained in one big breath.
Pierra looked at me with wide eyes, hand clasped over her chest as she took everything that I'd told her in. I stood up from the chair and pulled off my shirt and twirled to show her my still bruised back and front. I was healing well but my ribs still hurt when I did something that exerted too much energy. A gasp escaped from Pierra as her eyes ran over the healing bruises and scars.
"Bishop and his goons did that to you?"She asked in a quiet voice a lone tear sliding from her eye.
I didn't show her to make her cry, just to prove to her that I was not lying.
"Yes."I replied and she quickly swiped off the tears and looked up to meet my eyes with an emotion I couldn't quite out a finger on reflecting in her eyes.
"That doesn't make everything you said at the tattoo parlor a lie."She said and I quickly shook my head.
She was putting up walls and I couldn't let that happen.
"Yes it does, I like you Pierra. I have for a while and that date was, still is one of my most treasured memories. I don't regret taking you out on a date."I confessed in a pleading tone hoping that she would understand.
"You lied to me?"She asked.
"What?"I replied confused.
"That day at the parlor I asked you if it was Bishop and you looked me right in the eye and denied it. Why should I believe you now? That could all be make up and you're in this together with your three musketeers to make fun of me."She expressed tedand I realized that I had broken her more than I thought I did.
She knew I wasn't lying but she didn't want to believe that her brother was a monster.
"I'm not lying and I did then because I was scared. I have a mom and a sister to care for."I defended myself.
"I told you that I could protect you and I meant it. Bishop thinks he has all the power but he really doesn't. All you had to do was tell me the truth and I would have made things right. Now you lied and I don't know what or who to believe."She sobbed.
"Believe that I like you Ivy because that's the only truth there is."I replied taking a step closer to her.
"Then why tell me the truth right now huh? What's changed?"She asked.
"I thought I could do it but I can't. I can't not have you and I might loose my life for it but I really do want to be with you. I'm asking for another chance to make things right and prove to you that I really do deserve you."I pleaded.
She looked up at me with those dark brown eyes glistening with tears and I couldn't hold back anymore. I pulled her into my arms and she fell on my chest. She didn't hug me back but she didn't pull away either which I took as a good sign. I felt my chest get wet meaning she was crying. It broke my heart that I was responsible for those tears. I wanted to make things right but she had to give me the chance first. I was still scared of what Bishop could do but I believed that together Pierra and I could overcome him and be together without fear.
Pierra started wriggling in my arms wanting to get free and I reluctantly let her go. She swiped off her tears before sliding on her sandals that she had taken off.
"Where are you going?"I asked hoping now that we had talked she could stay a little longer and we could hang out.
"Away from you."She replied sniffling.
"What?! Why?"I asked shocked.
"Because you are a liar and a coward. I was willing to fight for you but you weren't. I am sorry you got hurt and even more sorry that you had to sell your camera but that doesn't cover for the fact that you lied to me. You made fun of me in front of all your friends and they knew which means they were all laughing at stupid desperate me."She shouted getting worked up and I realized that things were far from okay.
My confession would not fix things because the damage done was too great.
"No it wasn't like that."I argued feeling helpless.
"I chased after you for a month, worried sick and actually wanting to fix things. Even when I found you that day in the tattoo parlor I was willing to forget that you ghosted me if you gave me a good enough reason but you just lied to me. I actually thought you were a good guy but you are a liar Andrew and I don't date liars."She expounded further and I felt as if she had just punched me in the throat.
"So what does that mean for us?"I choked out bracing myself for the rejection that was about to come.
"Us? There was never an us. You made sure of that the minute you called our first date a mistake. I'm done here. Thank you for telling me the truth. I will make sure Bishop reimburses you for the loss of your camera but besides that you and I are done."She replied.
"I don't care about the camera, I care about you."I shouted throwing my hands up in exasperation.
"Yeah well you should have thought about before you decided to lie. I don't date liars or cowards and you're the biggest one of them all. And to think I was desperate enough to think you were a good guy and chase after you."Pierra laughed sarcastically.
"But I am a good guy, one who likes you a lot and wants another chance."I expressed desperately to make her see things from my point of view.
"No you're not. Goodbye Andrew. Have a good life."She sighed and with that she turned on her heel when left the room closing the door behind her.
I fell back on the bed not having the energy to run after her. What she had said was true, I was a liar and a coward and I was too late. I had lost her and it was all my fault. Even I couldn't blame Bishop for this one. She had given me the chance to come clean to her but I had lied. Now there was no one else to blame but me for the loss of the one girl that my heart yearned for.
😭😭