Awry

38

Gabriel slowly made his way to the front door of the cabin, trying to avoid the sick feeling in his stomach. Scarlet was here to “talk.” Which didn’t sound good.

Opening the door, he started to say hello when Scarlet interrupted him.

“Why are you dating me?” Her voice was soft and her eyes big.

“Uh…” Wrong answer, wrong answer. “Because I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said quickly. “But why are you dating me?” Scarlet’s face wasn’t angry or sour, she was simply…curious.

“Because you’re a piece of my life.” And you distract me from the cold emptiness that sucks away my hope.

“Yes, but I’m also a piece of your curse.” Scarlet paced the porch for a few seconds, the wooden planks beneath her feet creaking.

Were they really having this conversation on his porch?

Scarlet shook her head with a groan. “What are we doing, Gabriel?” She stopped pacing and looked at him with defeated eyes. “This is crazy.”

“What’s crazy?”

She gestured back and forth between them. “This. Us. We’re crazy.”

Gabriel stepped outside and shut the door behind him since, apparently, they were having this conversation on the porch.

Scarlet continued, “We can’t be together just because of some stupid curse, Gabriel. That’s dumb. I mean,” she ran a hand through her hair, “I keep dying because of a curse, and Tristan is probably shaking in pain somewhere right now because of a curse, and you…” She looked up at him sadly, “you aren’t free to love whoever you want because of a curse.”

She blinked. “We shouldn’t be dating, Gabriel. We should be breaking the curse.”

Gabriel was silent. Mostly because he couldn’t argue with anything Scarlet had said. But also, because the hole in his chest was growing wider and taking over his lungs.

He was losing Scarlet. He was losing hope.

But was it fair for him to hold on to her? To ask her to stay with him just so his soul wouldn’t ache?

No.

She was better off free. And she always had been.

Scarlet took a step forward and looked into Gabriel’s eyes, her face small and genuine. She softened her voice. “If we end up together, it needs to be because….” She searched his face. “Because we can’t live without each other. Not because we have no choice.” Her eyes skated across his face. “Don’t you think?”

The hole continued to expand and he could do nothing to stop it. Because Scarlet was right.

He slowly nodded. “Yes.” Pressing his lips together, he said, “If we’re meant to be together it shouldn’t be like this.”

It hurt to say that aloud. To admit it.

Scarlet’s face looked relieved and worried and hopeful all at the same time. “Do you really mean that?”

He nodded. “Yes, I do.”

And the truth broke him in half. It left him incomplete and brought him right back to the pit of emptiness.

Home, sweet home.