Frayed (Torn #2)(29)

There’s no better way to tell you how serious I am than with this ring. You know what this ring signifies, to me most of all. This is my way of telling you that I want my future with you in it.

I don’t want anyone else but you, Emma.

You can keep ignoring me if it makes you feel safe, but that doesn’t mean I will ignore you when you do. Our relationship was rocky, but we had a lot of good memories, too. I don’t know how to fully explain myself. You know more than anyone that I’m not good with expressing my feelings.

ALL I SEE IS YOU. There is no one else except you.

Forgive me, Emma. I will prove that I will be worthy of you again.

Forgive me for betraying your love and trust.

Forgive me for fighting for you.

Forgive me for loving you so much that I can’t let you go.

Ours was the kind of love that stays with you. You know more than I do, that it’s never going to be over, my Emma.

I love you.

Carter



This was like D—Day, the rounds just kept on coming. Carter blew my mind with this screwed-up-f*uking-ingenious gesture of his.

“Emma…” I trailed off. I wanted to say, “be strong and don’t let him change your mind”, but a quick glance at her made me stop. She was about to cry, but was trying to control it.

“What do I do, Trista? This is too much.” Emma’s small voice shook, troubled and confused.

Oh, no. She’s reacting to him. Not a very good sign. “Do you still have feelings for him, Em?”

“It’s going away. There are days that I don’t even remember him and his betrayal. I’m unprepared for this. I wasn’t expecting this.” Emma gently wiped her tears away.

Even if Carter was persistent, it still didn’t change the fact that he had hurt her badly. Even though I grew up with Carter, and have a soft spot for him, Emma needed a guy that was loyal and who was crazy about her. I believed Bass was that man, and then some. “Bass is crazy about you. If he knows you still have feelings for Carter, it could definitely complicate things.” Bass was the true gentleman, but he too has limits. I knew this from Emma’s stories.

Emma tried to smile. “I’m crazy about him, too. Bass has been this terrific, perfect guy. I’m scared how our relationship is going so fast, but it feels like it was meant to be that way… like being with him is never going to be simple or ordinary. I only have one heart, though. Sadly, it holds two men in it. One I want to keep, the other, I want to set free. How do I let the other free when he securely locked himself in, throwing away the key?”

“Shit, Em.” Yeah, I sucked at this. There was nothing I could say to make it better. She was going to be in a crazy battlefield of love, with two determined, Alpha demigods. Wishing her luck wouldn’t do shit.

After another five minutes, Emma gathered herself up and decided to stash her Pandora’s Box back in my closet. This time, I wouldn’t be caught dead with that medieval historic piece of art.

“You can stash the rest in there, but I won’t let you do that to the ring. You need to find a place to keep that safe.” The problem was where. The only thing that I could think of was for her to wear it, but it was impossible with Lindsey with us.

“f*uk, f*uk! I don’t need this problem, Tris. f*uk,” she cursed again.

In the end, she was reluctant, but knew it was the best if she held on to it. We were staying in Athens tonight and we’d be spending the whole weekend on a yacht. Leaving that ring in the closet, unguarded, was out of the question. It would be disrespectful to the ghost of Carter’s grandmother, but it was also an absolute disrespect to the ring itself. It was way too beautiful to be treated that way.

Yeah, I have a partial love affair for flawlessly beautiful masterpieces.





Chapter 12


Trista


We traveled to Athens by a helicopter with Dimitris as the pilot and Taylor next to him. Pretty boy looked like a kid in a candy store, ecstatic and giddy with joy.

Dimitris landed on a helipad atop his building. He was a great host and showed us to the seventh floor, where the guestrooms were located. Apparently, the other floors were for entertainment, dining and living room, with the gym and the penthouse being his quarters. His home was not decorated in an over the top fashion. Black and white with understated style left us all feeling comfortable.

Taylor and I didn’t speak to each other unless it was necessary, and I liked it that way. I hoped it would continue until the month was up.

After a nice rowdy dinner, Dimitris took us clubbing. I caught Lindsey a few times giving Dimitris a look. The Look. I planned to ask her about that once we were alone.

We had barely finished our first mojitos when Lindsey stood up and started to dance right in front of the guys. “Come on my pretty girlfriends, let’s get crackin’.” She took Emma’s hand on one side and mine on the other.

It was thrilling to be around my friends. Even though Amber wasn’t with us, the feeling of security I got from Emma and Lindsey was enough for me. Tonight, I had to try to forget about everything. After all, I had less than a month to enjoy my time of being alone here. Once I got back to the motherland, shit might hit the fan. Who really knew what the future held?

For a good hour, the three of us danced like old times. Emma and I were rather surprised—okay, we were definitely surprised—when Dimitris interrupted us and asked Lindsey to dance with him. “Um, maybe later? I’m still busy with my friends,” Lindsey said with hesitation.