When I walked into the room, Jules’s wildflower scent hit me hard, and my feet were taking me closer to her before I realized it. I’m now standing at the bed getting my first close-up view of her in weeks, and it feels like I can finally breathe again.
Quietly, I sit down in the chair that I’m sure Theo’s sat in multiple times recently. He has every right to sit in this chair, but fuck if I don’t like it. Even the thought of him being close to her makes me livid and my fists itch to pummel the hell out of him.
I push those thoughts aside before they get me in trouble.
She looks better than the last time I saw her. Healthier. Her cheeks aren’t as shallow, and her hair looks more vibrant. My eyes land on her left hand that’s lying on her stomach and notice the absence of her rings. She didn’t have them on when she was in a coma, I’m sure because the doctors didn’t want to take the chance of them cutting into her skin if her hands swelled, but I figured that would change once she found out she and Theo were married.
I slide open the drawer beside me just enough to see the bag still inside, then frown when I only see the locket and not the ring. She could have easily placed it somewhere else.
I push the drawer closed and look back at Jules. I silently curse when I see her eyes open, looking at me. Sitting stiffly, I wait for her to scream. The look in her eyes says she’s contemplating doing just that.
Hoping I’m not making a mistake, I hold my hand up in front of me, and say quietly, “I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”
I keep my eyes on her and slowly, so as not to startle her, get to my feet. Her frightened eyes stay glued to mine as I take a step back. I fucking hate that I put that look in her eyes. And I’m a grade A asshole for being here, knowing there was a chance this may happen.
Just before I turn on my heel, her soft but urgent voice stops me.
“Wait.”
I halt in my tracks and close my eyes, loving the sound of her voice. Opening them a moment later, I find her looking at me cautiously.
“What’s your name?” she asks. She’s still stiff, and I can tell by the way she’s clutching the blanket to her chest that screaming is still very much an option for her.
“Luca,” I respond gently.
“Luca,” she murmurs. I feel the sound of her voice saying my name in every part of my body. I love it coming off her lips, and I secretly wish she’d say it again.
“You’ve been coming here for the last… several nights, haven’t you?”
Her question throws me. She’s never woken up during my short visits, so for her to know I’ve been coming here at night surprises me.
I don’t want to lie to her, but I also don’t want her to freak out. However, she deserves to know the truth. Again, hoping I’m not making a mistake, I answer honestly.
“Yes. How did you know?”
Her hands loosen on the covers, not completely, but her knuckles are no longer white from the death grip she had before. I’m pleased to note the tenseness in her body has also decreased.
“I didn’t know for sure until you just told me. I felt something while I was sleeping. A… presence.”
“It could have been Theo,” I suggest.
She shakes her head. “No, it’s not him. He only visits during the day. And his presence is… different than yours. Since I woke up, I’ve been… scared, but…” She trails off for several seconds before admitting quietly, “the last few nights I haven’t.”
Her admission shocks me, because I’m the last person she should feel safe around. It’s obvious Theo hasn’t told her about my role in her life, and I wonder why. She may still be wary of me right now, but if she knew the truth, she’d be screaming her head off. That’s something I can’t handle right now, so I’m grateful she doesn’t know.
Curiously, I ask, “Theo doesn’t make you feel safe?”
She doesn’t answer right away. She looks beyond me, her brows puckering as she frowns. “It’s not that he makes me feel… unsafe,” she starts quietly. “It’s just….” Her eyes come back to mine and she shrugs. “I don’t know the word to use for what he makes me feel. Weird, maybe?”
Now it’s my turn to frown. She watches me guardedly as I take a step forward. “Weird how?”
She chews on her bottom lip before releasing it. “I’m not really sure. Uncomfortable somehow.”
I have no business asking, but my protective instincts are screaming at me, so I do anyway. “Has he done something to you?”
Unfortunately, my tone comes out harder that I intended, and she stiffens. I mutter a curse under my breath, luckily low enough for her not to hear.
She relaxes again after several tense seconds.
“No,” she replies. “He’s been very nice to me.”
My hands uncurl from the fists I didn’t realize they’d made, and the pounding in my ears slows. I should know better than to think Theo would do something to hurt Jules. Not only is she his wife, and they were obviously in love at one time, but he’s also the most laid-back of him, Ella, and me. He’s tough only when he needs to be, and even then, he avoids altercations and confrontations at all costs.
This situation with Jules is seriously fucking with my head.
She yawns, and it reminds me of how late it is.
“I’m going to go.” Instead of moving back toward the door, my feet move forward, inching closer to her. “You should rest.”
She tucks part of the cover beneath her cheek and her amber eyes focus more intently on me.
“Will you be back tomorrow night?”
I want to so fucking bad. “No,” I answer instead.
Her lips purse. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t belong here.”
Another frown. “Why not?” she repeats.
This time, I do take a step back, and a pointed pain stabs me square in the chest.
“There are things you don’t know. If you did, you wouldn’t want me here.”
“I don’t understand.” Confusion pulls down her brows. “What things?”
Another step back. Another step away from her.
“I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.” And I’m fucking terrified of her knowing.
I take two more steps back before her voice stops me.
“Wait!”
I stop. Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, and it further proves just how much of a fucked-up bastard I am when I feel my dick twitch in my jeans.
“It was nice to meet you, Luca.”
Hearing my name come from her lips again doesn’t help my fucking situation. Theo should beat my ass, then do it all over again. And again. And again. Especially since Jules and I have already met, and there’s no way she’d be saying it was nice to meet me if she had any inkling of what I’d done.
“It was nice meeting you too,” I mutter.
Before she can say anything else, or I do something stupid, I turn and leave the room.
As I make my way out of the hospital, the truth hits me. Jules is a part of Theo’s life, meaning she’ll be a part of mine.
Which also means I really need to get my shit under control before I go fucking insane.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jules
MY HANDS TWIST nervously in my lap as I sit on the hospital bed with my legs crossed Indian style. My back is ramrod straight, aching from being so stiff, and the inside of my bottom lip is raw from biting on it so much. I’m so freaking nervous as I wait for Theo to come back into the room.
Today is the day I get to go home. Or rather, Theo’s home. I had no choice but to go home with him, since my parents still haven’t called me back. That knowledge still burns deeply, but it also makes me angry. Who in the hell just ignores their daughter who’s been in a coma for seven years? How could they be so heartless? So cruel?