I was standing outside the Baron's hospital room, breathing in and out to calm my racing heart down. I was nervous. My palms were sweaty and my heart? It was beating like a fucking drum. I could hear my own heartbeat. I felt as if my rib cage will crack any moment and my heart will jump out. I sighed and exhaled a shaky breath.
It's Okay, Avery. You just have to go inside and say hello to him. After that, you'll leave him forever. Can I really do that? I mean, leave him forever? I shook my head lightly to clear my head. Don't think about it.
I grabbed the door knob and twisted it. It clicked and I pushed the door open only to find Baron, laying on the bed with his eyes closed. The sight of Baron in front of me teared me up. He had a bandage around his head, a cervical collar around neck and his right leg was completely covered with a cast. I let out a shaky breath and placed my hand on my heart, to calm it down so that Baron wouldn't wake up.
I made my way towards where he laid on the hospital bed. I gulped and traced my fingers slightly across the bruises he had on his beautiful face. There were a few stitches on his right cheek that made me let my tears fall down. There was a scrape on his kissable lips. He was in a shape I never wanted to see him in. I was staring at him when his eyes fluttered open. He just stared at me but soon grinned at me. He winced a little when he grinned due to the scrape on his lower lip.
"How are you?" I managed to whisper.
He nodded while he grinned and stared at me with glossy eyes. I could see the love and longing in his eyes. I know he missed me because so did I but right now, I wasn't the same old, naive Avery. I've matured after he left me. I got over him. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about him anymore because I do and maybe deep down, I still love him but let's just not think about it.
"Good" I pulled my hand back from his face and looked for a chair.
Grabbing the chair near the bed, I sat on it and soon an awkward silence engulfed us. I didn't know what to say and judging by the look he was giving me, he was also having a hard time striking up a conversation.
I was fidgeting with my fingers when I heard him sob which made me look up at him.
"I am so sorry, Avery" He winced as he tried to sit up. I jerked forward to help him lean against the pillow and bedstock.
"I am so sorry for everything. I know I was wrong. I should've trusted you" I was going to move back when he grabbed my hand.
I looked up at him in shock. How could he even touch me now? There's nothing left between him and I. We can't be together. I'm only here to meet him because he wanted to and because of his condition, this is more like a pity showed by my parents to allow me to meet him, one last time: nothing more.
Looking at him breaking down like this in front of me hurt my heart. The Baron is know will never cry in front of a girl, never guilty on what he does. But the Baron in front of me is a whole new person to look at. My gaze fell on our hands, which he was still holding and crying. What if Papa and Mama walks in? I finally got a hold of myself and pulled my hand out of his grasp.
"Now is not the time, Baron" I looked away and sat back on the chair.
"In fact, after what you did--" I glared at him but looking at his condition, my eyes softened and I decided not to say anythinf harsh.
"Let's not talk about it. Let it be a fucked up past" I said and crossed my hands over my chest.
"But-" He tried to say but I held my hand up, trying to shut him up.
"Let's not discuss it in the present, Baron" I let out an exasperated sigh.
Gladly, he didn't say anything after this. Instead, we fell into a very uncomfortable silence but fortunately the nurse walked in.
"Hey, Mr. Baron. How you doing?" She smiled at me and then startes doing her job.
"I'm fine" Baron replied with no emotions on his face. Hmm, that's a change. The Baron I ued to know would've smirked and started flirting with her regardless of any kind of situation.
"You must be Avery" The nurse injected a serum in the bottle of infusion system and started noting something on the clipboard, probably Baron's medical record.
"Yeah, I am. But how do you know my name?" I asked, confused.
"Because that's the only name we could hear since Baron has arrived to the hospital" I furrowed my brows and looked between the both of them.
"Oh" She said after realizing my confused expression.
"When he was unconscious, your name was the only name he kept calling that's why we suggested his parents to bring you here"
I nodded and a blush crept up to my cheeks. And when I looked at Baron, I couldn't help but smile. He had his head turned to the other side and what was that? Oh my god, he was blushing. I have never seen Baron like this. It has always been me, the weak and shy one but looks like the tables have turned. Well, it doesn't matter anymore. When I realized that I was smiling, I cleared my throat and got up to leave.
"Where are you going?" Baron grabbed my hand and winced in pain when he tried to get out of the bed. He had the look of urgency on his face.
"Be careful" The nurse said while adjusting the pillow behind Baron's back.
"I guess that's my cue" The nurse cleared her throat. She smiled at me while giving me a reassuring pat on my shoulder and left.
"I guess I'm going back home?" I wanted to say in a 'duh' tone but it came out more like a question because I wasn't sure either whether I wanted to go back or not.
"Stay" And it took me to the day when I was at the hospital with him and I asked him to stay.
Right now, I was contemplating on whether I should stay or not? Didn't I promise myself that I won't hold on to him nor on to the feelings? Anyways, I decided to stay and got seated on the chair, again.
"Uhh- Avery?" I looked up at Baron, he was nervous. I knew where this was going. He was going to apologize, once again even though I asked not to.
"Hmm?" I hummed in response.
"I'm sorry" I sighed and closed my eyes, wanting to go far away from him.
"Baron-" I was going to stop him from bringing that topic up but he stopped me.
"Look, Avery. I have to get this off of my chest, Okay? I need to apologize. I have to. Or else I'll never be satisfied with my life. I'll always have this pain inside my chest for being an asshole to you" He confessed.
"Avery? I am sorry for what I did without even listening to your side of story. I just went berserk and rampaged at your house, accused you of things that you never did" His voice cracked. He moved on the bed and closer towards the chair while wincing due to pain his neck and lower back.
"You should've let me explain!" I replied curtly and moved away from him by moving my chair a little.
"I know. I know I should have! And that's why I am sorry. When I found out that motherfucker was playing around you and I, I beat him to pulp that day" He scoffed.
"How did you find out?" I asked him confused. Who might have told Baron the truth?
"Katherine. She told me that you never even talked to that bastard" He whispered. I asked her not to tell him anything, not to justify me. I tried stopping her for 3 years because I didn't want to justify or explain anything to him. All I wanted from him was trust and he failed at that so there was no use in explaining anything to him at all.
"Avery, I am sorry for not trusting you" He said while getting closer, again.
"Look, if you forgive me, we'll get married and start over. Even my mother wants us to get married now since your names has been the only name that I kept saying while I was unconscious. She realized the love I had,- no, I have for you" When he was about to grasp my hands in his, I jerked away due to which the chair fell.
"NO!" I yelled and he looked at me as if I have grown horns.
"No" I breathed out.
"We're over, Baron. Nothing can go back to how it was anymore. You broke me. You called me things that no one ever dared to. You destroyed me. You humiliated me. You humiliated what we had, my feelings, everything!" I whisper yelled.
"Ave-" I held my hand to stop him fr saying anything. It was my turn to go berserk now.
"Enough" I said while running my hand through my hair.
"I didn't fall in love with you because I was lonely or lost, I fell in love with you because after getting to know you, I realized that I wanted to make you a permanent part of my world" I sighed.
"But after what you did to me, I was broken. It took me years to get my fucking self back to normal" I'm not the type to curse but at the moment, I wanted to curse.
"So there is no marrying, no going back. Goodbye Baron. This time, forever" I was about to leave when he grabbed my hand and his words cracked my whole heart open.
"I love you, Avery" I turned around.
"No, you don't" I replied and tried to get my hand out of his grasp. I was crying. Why didn't I notice that before?
"Yes, I do. You and I, we both know you love me, too" He said while getting out of the bed and standing infront of me.
"Avery, I have been selfish" He said while wiping the tears on my drenched face. Having Baron this close, it felt as if my tongue is tied and I can't say a word anymore.
"Perhaps I've been selfish, looking at it the wrong way"
"And I just want to be selfish one more time. But this time, I want to make you mine forever not caring about what happened in the past" I sighed and looked away. He grabbed my chin to make me look at him and got dangerously close.
"I love you, Avery. Marry me!" He said while placing a kiss on my forehead.
"Take your time and think about it. Wasn't it what we wanted back then?" He asked.
"It was back then. Not now!" I said, standing my ground but I was losing inside. This battle wasn't mine to win from the verh beginning. Was it? I scoffed internally. He placed his forehead on mine and closed his eyes.
"Baron, lay down. You're not in a good condition. Look at your leg. How are you even standing on it" I said while moving away. I looked up at him, he looked hurt. I was worried about his condition.
"I can survive anything if I feel loved, even these pains that come to explode within, these silent hand grenades. With kindness I can make it, with compassion there is grace. And when you smile at me you are my heroine, my morphine, finer than any doctor can prescribe" When he said that, my lips, unknowingly curled up into a smile and I knew it that I have lost the battle of ego to love.
He held my hand and led us to the bed. He sat on it and backed away a little to make some space for me. He laid on the pillow with his arm resting so that I can lay on it. I looked at him to see if he was crazy. His bones were broken and if I laid on his arm, it'll hurt him. But he nodded his head to make sure it's okay.
I gulped and got on the bed. I laid on his arm and turned my back on him. I let out an exasperated sigh. I was comfortable and happy. And this was exactly what I needed : to be in his arms, forever. At this moment, I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to get lost in the moment and so I did.
"I'm sorry Avery and I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life" He whispered in my ear. I turned around, careful not to hurt him and nodded.
"I forgive you, Baron. You're forgiven" I smiled and finally let the tears fall down. When I looked up at him, he was crying, too and grinning. I could tell that he was happy. The look in his eyes, it was the kind of look as id you've get whatever you wanted and thinking that I was all he needed, made my heart flutter.
Both of us smiled and I realized that my love won against all the odds. Not mine, but ours. That was our happy ending.
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A/N
The last chapter! 💃
I'll upload an epilogue im a day or two. Just to clear some questions.
- Kainat