Always (Bold as Love) Read Online Free PDF Page B

at baggage claims. The first thing I notice is that Emily's not with them. The second thing is that Mike looks madder than hell.
    “ What have you done now, Jake?”
    Confusion causes my eyebrows to burrow.
    “I swear, sometimes I think y’alls relationship is a bit toxic. Especially for her,” he continues.
    “ What are you talking about?”
    “ Don't bullshit me, Jake. She's been stuck in her room for two days. You've done something...” he trails off, quite possibly noticing my confusion. “You haven't talked to her? You haven't upset her?”
    “ No. She hasn't been answering my calls, but I figured she was just sleeping since it was so late. What's going on?”
    “ I think I know,” Drake speaks up quietly.
    Mike and I both look down at my little brother.
    “I overheard a woman talking to Emily the other morning. She didn't say anything mean to Emily, though. But after that, she locked herself in her room.”
    “ Why didn't you mention it before, Drake?” Mike asks.
    Drake shrugs. “I was eavesdropping. I didn't want to get in trouble.”
    “It had to have been her mom. I need to see her.”
    “ Good luck,” Mike answers.
    The hour and a half drive from Raleigh feels like five, and I'm glad I was able to get my flight back switched to the Raleigh-Durham airport instead of Charlotte. Sure enough, Emily's door is locked, and she's not talking to anyone. I try and try, but no answer. There's no sound whatsoever coming from the other side of this door. Finally, I ask Mike if he will take Drake to the movies or something, so I can try to get through to Emily with the house empty.
    “Sweetness, please open the door. Talk to me.”
    Nothing.
    After an hour, I sigh in defeat as I take a seat on the floor outside of her door. I hear a click. Have my ears deceived me? Quickly, I stand and slowly turn the knob to find out. The door creaks open. She’s laying in bed on her side, curled up in a ball. I lightly rap on the door twice to let her know that I'm coming in.
    Without looking, she says in that quiet voice I hoped I would never hear again, “Shouldn’t you be at home?”
    “I should be wherever you are.”
    “ Don’t be all nice and sweet, Jake. I would like for you to stay away for a bit.”
    “ Well, that’s not going to happen,” I say as I crawl into bed behind her and cuddle. Maybe she means to, maybe she doesn’t, but either way it makes me happy when she leans into me.
    “ I’m sorry,” I say as my lips brush her neck.
    “ For?” Before I can answer, she's talking. “I want to be mad. I want to be mad at you. I am furious with you actually.”
    “ Why?”
    “ Can you please not touch me?”
    Taken aback, I reluctantly slide away from her and see her relax.
    “I'm sorry,” she begins. “ It's all been a lie. I'm sorry, but when you came along and started making me do things, making me return to the old me, I couldn't pass up the chance to be normal again. Or at least pretend to be.”
    “ What are you saying?”
    “ I'm saying that I'm not over what happened with my mom. I'm saying that it still bothers me greatly. You were my escape from my past and with everything that has happened and my mom coming back, it's over. I'm sorry. I used you. It's time I face reality, Jake.”
    “ What's over? Us? Just talk to me, Sweetness. It'll be okay.”
    “ No, it won't. Don't you get that I used you? Aren't you mad with me?”
    “ I could never be so mad with you that I no longer want you, Sweetness. Are you saying that you don't really love me? That our entire relationship means nothing to you?” She couldn't say that. She couldn't mean it if she did say it. Emily is my everything. She can't mean that. I don't know what I can do to help her anymore.
    “ No,” she answers quickly and I'm instantly relieved. “I fell in love with you. That was and still is entirely real. Eve was right, though. Whether you see it or not, I'm a train wreck. I don't want to drag you down with me, Jake. What