Songs for this chapter:
• Complicated - Olivia O'Brien
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One:
Lexi's POV
All of the air is forced out of my lungs.
My eyes meet Lydia's.
"What?"
She folds her hands in her lap and stares down at her entwined fingers with a smile, still perched on the edge of Bryce's bed. "He's not my boyfriend. Our manager planned a few strategic appearances for us to make the public believe that we are together. We aren't, though. We haven't even confirmed our relationship to the press. I also have a boyfriend. You remember Theo, right? Him and I are together."
I nod at her, numb and unable to speak.
Lydia then stands up from her seat and turns to face me. "I'll give you three some privacy. You're his family."
She turns so that her back is to me and begins to walk to the doorway. She lifts her hand to grasp the handle before pausing and looking over her shoulder at me.
"Oh, and Lexi?"
I raise my eyebrows.
"You can't tell anyone what I just told you. It's confidential information. Keep it a secret for me, okay?" she says calmly.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod.
Lydia gives me one of those bright, charming smiles of hers, the smile I've seen on magazine covers at the grocery store far more times than I can count.
"Good. I'll be outside if you have any other questions."
And then Lydia slips out of the room, the door clicking shut after her.
I take a seat on the edge of Bryce's bed. I lean down to press my forehead against his with a shuddering sigh.
"I . . . I don't even know what to say. I messed up. I messed up so badly, Bryce," I whisper.
A single tear escapes me and rolls down my cheek before dropping onto Bryce's face. I brush it away with my thumb and sniffle.
"I was so convinced that you had broken your promise to me. I was so convinced that . . . that you moved on, that you were done waiting for me, that you found someone so much better. I was ready to try again, to try us again, but then the same day I was going to go to your apartment and tell you, I saw the news about you and Lydia, and I realized that I care for you enough to let you go if it meant someone else could make you happier. All I want is for you to be happy, baby, and if I can't make you happy, then you deserve someone who can."
I look up at Nessa and Matt to find them both watching me with silent tears rolling down their cheeks.
I fumble for Bryce's hand as I ask, "Did you guys know? That it wasn't real? That he wasn't dating her?"
A sob escapes Nessa's lips. "Yes. And I thought you did, too. When I came to see you that night at the theatre, that's what I came to tell you. But you said you already knew, and that you had a boyfriend. Now I realize that this was all a big, giant misunderstanding." Her gaze snags on Bryce again and she sniffles. "I shouldn't have left the theatre until I told you. You told me you already knew, but there was no way you could've known the whole story. I should've known better."
I squeeze Bryce's hand tighter and shake my head furiously. "Nessa, don't say that. It's my fault. I shouldn't have cut you off and told you to leave."
A loud sniffle cuts me off, and my eyes dart from Nessa to Mateo.
His eyes are trained out the window, his chin resting on his hands. His eyes are bloodshot and his fingers are drumming aggressively against his thigh.
Nessa reaches for his hands to stop their drumming. "Hey. Deep breath. He's going to be okay. It's Bryce."
Mateo leans in to press his face into Nessa's hair before inhaling deeply. "I know. But I've only known him for six years, and he's my brother, who I should've known my whole life. It's bullshit, and we deserve more time together."
Nessa begins to whisper soothing words to Mateo in a voice too low for me to hear, and so I look away from them and give a comatose Bryce my full attention. He looks so peaceful, so happy, and I wish I could feel that way right now.
Meanwhile, my whole world is falling apart at my fingertips.
I gingerly lift my legs up onto the bed before slowly laying down beside Bryce. I rest my cheek against his chest and sling one of my legs over his, finally finding comfort for the first time today in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.
He'll be okay. He'll be okay, and then him and I will get our happily ever after.
Just the two of us, with no one in the way.
My eyes fly open.
Liam.
I can't start a relationship with Bryce before I end my relationship with Liam, and ending my relationship with him would involve speaking to him again.
I shudder at the mere thought, but if that's what I have to do to spend the rest of my lifetime with Bryce, then I will make that sacrifice.
The door to the hospital room opens with a click, and I look over my shoulder to see Leo, Elena, and Jordan stepping into the room.
Leo and Elena sit in the chair to Bryce's right, Elena perched in Leo's lap, and Jordan takes a seat on the armrest of Nessa's chair. He ruffles her hair before slinging an arm around her shoulders with a sad smile.
Elena is the first to speak. "Lexi, dear, you owe me a hug. I haven't hugged your since you arrived, and you look as though you need it."
Even though it hurts my heart to do it, I unwrap myself from around Bryce's body and push up into a seated position. I tuck a few wayward strands of hair back from my face and then turn to face Elena with a smile.
She gasps.
And then it hits me.
My neck.
I immediately pull my hood back on, but the damage has already been done.
Jordan pushes to his feet. "What the hell? Who did that to you?"
I consider standing up as well, but I'm shaking so badly that I know I would just fall to the ground and make a complete fool out of myself.
Jordan's hands are suddenly on my face and he tilts my head towards him. My body jerks away, as has always been the case since Liam began hitting me, but Jordan doesn't care as he pushes my hood back and holds my head in place.
He leans in and purses his lips together as his eyes scan my bruised neck. "Lex. Tell me."
I whimper and consider lying, claiming that it was an accident during the show where James or Mac and I messed up our blocking and he grabbed me in the wrong way, but what good would lying do me?
What do I have to lose anymore? Bryce is already almost gone, and he's all that matters.
"I started seeing this guy after I saw the news about Bryce and Lydia. Since I thought their relationship was real until a few minutes ago, I figured that I should move on, too. He was very nice at first, but then he started to hit me. It's been nearly a year, and I can't escape him. He knows where I live. He knows where I work. He doesn't take my threats to leave him seriously. I feel so helpless," I whisper all in one breath.
I'm greeted with silence.
And then Elena pushes to her feet, wraps her arms around me, and holds me tight as unwanted tears begin to pour from my eyes.
"Oh, Lexi. I am so sorry. I know what it's like to be in a relationship with a man who hits you. I know how hard it is to find freedom. Hell, it took me more than twenty years to leave Caleb. We are all here for you, though, and we won't let what happened to me happen to you," Elena tells me gently.
I bury my face into her shoulder and cry even harder.
"I don't want to be with him anymore," I sob. "I want to be with Bryce. I didn't want to ruin his relationship with Lydia because I wanted him to be happy, but if they aren't together, then I want to be with him. More than anything else in the whole wide world."
Elena simply squeezes me tighter.
"Jordan?" Leo's voice cuts through the room like a knife. "You spoke to Bryce last before he overdosed, correct?"
Jordan is still standing at Bryce's bedside from when he came over to examine my neck, but he takes a step back and reclaims his seat on the armrest of Nessa's chair. "Yes, sir."
"Did Bryce say anything to you that would explain his overdose? I was told that it was a combination of Xanax and alcohol in his system," Leo continues.
I sniffle and remove my face from Elena's shoulder so that I can turn to watch Jordan. His eyebrows are pinched in concentration.
"Well, he had just found out about Lexi's boyfriend today. He keeps in touch with Kathleen and John, and apparently Lexi only told them recently that she was dating someone and Kathleen told Bryce today. He was very upset, as I'm sure you can assume. He's very protective of her," Jordan answers Leo calmly.
I turn to face Leo.
His eyes flutter shut.
He inhales deeply and then exhales loudly.
When his eyes reopen, they fall on me, still held in Elena's arms.
"I think it might be best for you to go, Lexi. Before Bryce wakes up," he tells me gently.
My heart stops beating.
"Pardon?" I ask, shocked.
Leo clears his throat and gets to his feet. He reaches for his wife and gently pulls her away from me so that she's standing by his side.
Elena scowls up at him, but if Leo notices, he doesn't show it.
"It has nothing to do with you, Lexi," he tells me. His tone is stern. "It has to do with Bryce. He overdosed on the same drugs he typically takes to ease his anxiety. It's evident he isn't in a stable state mentally right now. No matter how much he loves you, I'm not sure that it is wise for you to be here. His love for you may make him do something even more irrational than what he has already done."
Mateo clears his throat. "Dad? Seriously? Bryce would want her to be here."
"I agree with Mateo," Vanessa chimes in.
Wisely, Jordan is silent on the matter.
Leo clears his throat loudly. "Kids. Trust me. Please. I don't want him to hurt himself again. I love Bryce too much to let that happen. I'm sure he will want to talk to soon after he wakes up, but you haven't seen each other in over a year. I don't think the shock will be healthy for him."
My eyes meet Leo's.
And I see all the love in the world staring back at me, his love for Bryce and his desperation to protect him at all costs.
I nod my head at him.
He nods back at me and steps past Elena to pull me into a fierce hug.
"Will you be safe at your apartment or will that man come and find you there? I can give you a key to Bryce's place if you would be safer there," he whispers to me gently.
I squeeze him tighter. "I'll be okay at my apartment. My roommates will be home just in case." I pull back to meet Leo's stare. "Will you call me if anything changes? I want to know that he's okay."
Leo nods and smiles. "Of course, Lexi. Stay safe, sweetheart."
I give everyone a small wave before turning on my heel, lifting my chin, and walking away.
🌸🌸🌸
Bryce's POV
There is a small, soft body on top of me.
Her weighted curves press down against my hard muscle, her small hands clutch desperately at mine, and her shuddering breaths fan out against my neck.
Even though I can't see her, the feel of her body on top of mine is so familiar that I know it's my Blossom who is crying in my arms.
"I started to see this guy named Liam, and he hurts me. Really badly sometimes . . . You always make things so much better. So please, wake up, and save me. I never wanted to be a damsel-in-distress ever again, but I am, and I need my prince charming, Bryce. I need you."
I want so badly to be able to wrap my arms around her, to hold her tight, to soothe her worries and her anxiety. I want to promise to her that she never has to see him again, that no man will ever lay a finger on her as long as I'm by her side.
And I want to find that little piece of shit and beat the fuck out of him.
But I can't.
I can't move, I can't speak, I can't do anything but lay here and listen to Blossom's words, listen to her crying and whimpering in fear of this disgusting excuse of a man.
And then the weight has suddenly been lifted off of me and there are other voices, not just Blossom's.
I hear my dad.
"It's evident he isn't in a stable state mentally right now. No matter how much he loves you, I'm not sure that it is wise for you to be here."
Has he lost his mind? Of course I want Blossom to be here. Sometimes, I think that she's the only person who can make me feel better when I'm down.
And I need to see her.
Now.
My eyes open and I gasp.
I shoot up in the hospital bed and twist my head around to face my parents.
Elena is curled up on Dad's lap, but she leaps to her feet at the sight of me.
My eyes focus on my father. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
His eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead. "Pardon me?"
I scowl. "Why the fuck did you make her leave? Why would I ever not want to see her?"
Dad's face pales. "You heard that?"
I nod. "Yeah. I did."
Dad gets to his feet. He walks right past Elena and takes a seat on the edge of my bed.
One of his hands pushes my hair back from my face before his palm settles against my cheek. "I'm so sorry, kid. All I wanted was to protect you. That's all I've ever wanted to do."
The sincerity in his gaze drains all of the fight out of me.
"I know. And I love you for it, old man," I whisper.
He smiles down at me. "I love you too, Bryce. Lexi left an hour ago, but I'll give her a call. I'm sure she'll hurry back here to see you."
Suddenly, I feel a set of arms around me from behind, and I turn to find Matt standing on my other side, tears streaking his cheeks and dark circles beneath his eyes.
I wrap my arms around him as he presses his face into my shoulder. "Hello, Matthew. I can't imagine I was out for very long. Missed me that much already?"
Matt hits me in the shoulder. "Shut up, Bryce. And stop calling me Matthew."
I smile and hit him back. "Sure, Matthias."
Matt pulls away from and opens his mouth to speak again.
But then, the hospital room door slams open and hits the wall with a thud.
Hope that Blossom somehow is already here to see me blooms in my chest.
But when I turn to face the doorway, it's not Blossom I see.
Not even close.
Her eyes meet mine, and a vicious smile turns up the corners of her bright red lips.
Red lips painted the same shade as the acrylic nails she's worn for as long as I can remember.
Her eyes scan the room before finally settling on my dad's face.
Her feral smile seemingly grows wider. "How come I wasn't invited to the family reunion?"
A/N: I told you the cliffhangers wouldn't end. <3
Anywho, I haven't asked this in awhile I don't think, so who is everyone's favourite character in the series? Bryce and Lexi are obviously my babies, but I'd love to see who everyone else's favourites are. It might impact the books I write in the future ;)