Collide (Collide #1)(161)

"Goddamn it, Emily!" he snapped. Abruptly, he caught her by the waist and hauled her up tight against his chest. She sucked in an indignant breath as she stared into his eyes. "Don't mistake my pleading with you as a weakness; I'm no *. I told you I'm not lying, but if you think for one f*cking minute, he hasn't - or that he's not - then there's seriously something wrong with you."

"Hey," the now impatient driver called out. "Is she getting in or not?"

"Yes."

"No."

They both quickly yelled in unison.

Gavin's angry eyes snapped to the driver. "She's not getting in. Leave. Now."

With a pissy look in his eyes, the man shook his head and sped off.

"I can't believe you," Emily cried out, tears streaming down her face. Each one of her tears crashed around Gavin's heart. She lifted her hands and pushed against his chest, but he secured her with his steely arm around her waist. "Why are you doing this to me, Gavin?"

"Because I f*cking love you, and I'm not lying," he answered, his breathing ragged and harsh. "Tell me right here and now that you don't love me, and I'll walk away. I'll walk away, and you'll never have to see me again." With his free hand, he tilted her neck back. He dipped his head and started feathering his lips against her temple, down her cheek, and along the curve of her jaw. Emily couldn't help it, but a light moan left her lips. "You'll never have to feel me touch your body again, Emily. You'll never have to hear my voice in your ears again. You'll never have to wake up to me by your side again. Tell me right now that you don't love me, and I'm gone...forever."

Emily was shaking inside, but she wouldn't show it. If she let anything slip through, she would break down, and that couldn't happen. Though every fiber in her body wanted to believe him, she didn't. This was a carefully thought-out skit that he was trying to manipulate her with. He was an actor on a stage, perfecting his skill, and Emily was his sole audience. Now it was her turn to send his heart straight into the crematory where hers now lie.

"I don't love you," she said, lying through her teeth. That lie was literally ripping her apart. Her eyes dripped with tears as she stared into his. "I told you I needed to get you out of my system, and I did. That's all that night meant to me."

Another lie.

However, there would be one truth that left her lips. "And I don't believe a word that you've said."

Gavin winced and held back stinging tears. Her parasitic words - each one of them - sucked the air straight out of his lungs. She took his heart, ground it up, and turned it into crimson paste right before his eyes. Struck nearly f*cking speechless, he took a step back and released her from his hold.

"Thank you for the permanent scar," he whispered, his voice broken and defeated. Without another word, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to his car.

Cupping her hand over her mouth, a wounded cry escaped Emily as she watched him pull into traffic, his tires screeching against the wet pavement. With her heart sinking in her chest, she waved a taxi over. Hands trembling, she pulled the door open, slid in, and let the driver know her destination.

Tonight, sleep wouldn't be either of their friends.

Tonight, loneliness, hurt, confusion, and pain would visit both Emily and Gavin.




Gavin tossed his phone next to him on the couch after it'd rang for the twentieth time. Dillon was fast becoming relentless at this point, and Gavin didn't give a flying f*ck. Finishing the last bottle of beer in a six-pack, he mindlessly flipped through the television channels. The cool liquid slid down his throat, working its way into his body. However, the only thing he could taste or feel running through his veins was Emily. No matter how hard he had tried the last couple of weeks, Gavin couldn't remove her. Nonetheless, he kept his promise. Though it desperately took every bit of self-control, he didn't attempt to contact her. Still, that didn't stop her from bleeding through every coherent thought or haunting every sleeping nightmare Gavin had. Emily morphed into an ache unlike anything he'd ever known.