Authors: Hilary Storm
me through this. I can’t argue with that
because I’m not coping well. I’m an
emotional wreck, and I don’t know how
to heal from all of this. I know it takes
time, but I don’t even know how to
begin.
“Hey Aiden.” I enter in the middle
of him telling Holden about a counselor
he has in mind.
“Hi Ivy, baby. We’re gonna keep
you safe from that asshole. That, I can
promise ya. I can’t believe he contacted
you again.” I lean into his chest and
greet him.
“I love you girl! Take care of
you!” Eaven wraps me up for one last
hug and both girls leave us.
Our
flight
out
isn’t
until
tomorrow. The guys make arrangements
for us to stay in a hotel for the night. I
work hard to keep it together when
Holden is around. Aiden doesn’t give
anything away when I wrap my arms
around his waist. He puts an arm on my
shoulder and pulls me in tight. I wait
until Holden steps off the bus to get our
transportation before I lose it.
I fall apart like the mess my life
is. Aiden stands tall and holds my body
up. “Ivy, what are you doing? Why are
you hugging on me like this?”
“I told Taron that I’m in love with
you so he would let me leave. He would
never have let me go with you if I didn’t
say that to him.”
“Why are you pushing him away?”
“Because he’ll walk away from
tour for me. He’ll ruin everything
they’ve built, and I can’t let him do that.
Maybe we can be together one day if I
get my life together, but not now.”
“I refuse to drag him down and
right now I’m totally depending on him
for everything. I need to break away and
get things situated.”
“I understand and we’ll figure it
out.”
“Just go along with this when
Holden is around until I figure something
else out.”
He nods and pulls me in for anther
hug. “Ivy, you have been through so
much the past few weeks, of course I’m
here for you.” I haven’t needed this
many hugs in my entire life.
My heart is broken that I had to say
those things to Taron. The last thing I
ever want to do is hurt him, but I know
how he is. He won’t let me go if I don’t
break him apart with words that pierce
through the both of us.
Holden arranges a separate cab for
us so he could go ahead of us to prepare
the hotel. We get to the hotel and I see
that Holden has taken his responsibility
very seriously. He meets me at the cab
to escort me in and we travel to our
room in the most direct path possible.
This guy is thorough. He opens the door
to our room and begins searching the
closets and bathroom. I stop him as he
drops to the floor to look under the bed.
“Holden, what the hell! Calm
down. No one is in here.” My face has
to tell him that I think he’s crazy.
“Don’t you dare down-play this,
Ivy. That guy is a crazy mother-fucker
and I won’t take any chances, so get used
to this until he’s found.”
There’s a knock at the door and
Holden moves quickly to see who it is,
even though I know it’s Aiden. Holden
is wound so damn tight.
“We leave for the airport first
thing in the morning, so you need to be
ready early. We can’t miss the flight. I
have security on the other end to get you
to the cabin. He’s obviously obsessed
with you and we aren’t leaving any
possible way for him to get to you.”
I smile at Holden’s serious nature
and walk up to him. He’s the same
height as Taron, but a little bigger built.
There are so many similarities between
Holden and the twins. I lean in to him
and
silently
say
thank
you
for
everything. My heart is still breaking
and I can’t seem to form the words to tell
him how much I appreciate him
following me half-way across the
country because his brother loves me
enough to keep me safe. There just
aren’t any words to say that can come
close to compare to my appreciation.
I take the bed farthest from the
door and slide under the sheet. I know
this is awkward for Aiden, but he’ll
have to sleep in bed next to me. I face
the wall and wait for one of them to do
or say something. I wait for a long time,
but fall asleep before he climbs into
bed.
I wake sometime in the night and
startle myself when I don’t realize where
I am. My abrupt movement has Holden
out of the other bed instantly. I glance
down at Aiden who is on top of the
blanket as far away from my side of the
bed as possible. I don’t miss Holden’s
face questioning me, but I begin to get
nauseous again so I run to the bathroom.
I can’t stand this feeling. I feel
like my insides are twisting and turning
and I can’t seem to get relief. The stress
that Dylan is putting on my life and now
leaving Taron, is tearing me apart. I
lose it again, but there is hardly anything
left for me to throw up anymore.
I hear a tap on the door and see
Holden peek in. “Do you need
anything?”
“I hate this. I can’t stand this
feeling.” I say through sobbing tears
when I officially fall to pieces. I’m
pretty sure hugging the toilet, while lying
on a strange floor, as I run from a psycho
stalker, and walk away from the man I
love, is the all time low of my life. I
can’t even get it together at this point to
tell him that I need something or that I’m
fine, because I’m not ok. The problem is
that there is nothing Holden can do to
help me.
My lack of movement has him
kneeling next to me in seconds. “Just let
it out. I’m sorry you have to deal with
this psycho. I promise we’ll keep you
safe.”
He has no idea that’s only half of
what has my guts twisting.
He lifts me up from the floor and
moves me to the sink. I use the washrag
that he hands me to clean my face. I look
in the mirror and see a disgusting ghost
of a woman looking back at me. I look
like complete shit. My face is healing,
but I have no coloring, and the nauseated
feeling hits again when I notice my
medusa hair.
“Should we take you to the
doctor?”
“No, it’ll pass. I just need a
minute.”
“Ok, but you need something to
help calm you. This is a lot of stress on
a
person. When we get settled, I’m
going to have someone come to the cabin
to check you out.”
“Ok.” I don’t argue because if
someone can make me feel better, then
I’m all for it.
Taron
She’s gone. Holden sent me a text
that they checked into the hotel. We are
staying the night in the city again tonight.
I manage to make it through the
concert. The concert goes as well as it
could with me being pissed off at the
world. I finish the show and step over
the panties that were thrown on stage. I
don’t give a fuck about picking up a girl
tonight. My life is full dealing with the
one I have, or should I say don’t have
anymore.
I grab a cab with only one place in
mind. “Grand Hotel, fifty-sixth and
Jackson.” I struggle the entire drive to
her hotel. I can’t believe she’s with
him. My mind won’t accept it, so I need
to see it for myself. I need to see that her
eyes don’t want to eat me alive. I need
to see her look at him like she does me.
I just can’t believe that she is this much
of a bitch.
I hand the cab driver the money
and enter the lobby. I hit the elevator to
the forth floor since Holden told me
what room they are in. I walk until I
come face to face with room #422. I
freeze mid knock and stop myself from
barging in and throwing her over my
shoulder to take her back.
I could never love you and I don’t
trust you to be faithful. I know that I’m
just another piece of ass to you.
Her words hit just as hard played
back on replay as they did in real time. I
slide down the wall until I land on my
ass. I deserve this. My fucked up past is
the reason she won’t trust me and how
can I blame her? I didn’t want a
relationship then. Life was much
simpler then. I sure as hell never went
to find a girl, let alone chase her down to
make her prove she loves me more than
a fucking cowboy.
What the hell is wrong with me? I
bury my head in my hands and settle in
for the night.
I wake up to the sound of a food
cart rolling in my direction. I
contemplate banging on the door, but
decide to leave. The walk away from
that door pulls in spots I don’t like being
fucked with. I need to get away from
here. Maybe I need a distraction to get
my mind off of Ivy. I pull out my phone
to dial Emily, she’s always up for a hook
up. There’s no answer, but she’ll see
that I called. It’s a guarantee that I’ll
hear from her today.
~Thirteen~
Ivy
The plane ride is miserable. I’m
over this feeling like crap. I tell Holden
to get the doctor lined up quickly.
We land in Missouri and our drive
is just as crappy. I need out of moving
v e hi c l e s . Neither Aiden or Holden
know what to do with me. I can tell that
they’re both worried, but I can’t get
control of the nausea. Just when I think
that I’m better, it hits again.
“I found a doctor who will make a
stop at the cabin tonight. She’s a friend
of my family’s and will take care of
you.” At least I have hope that I can
possibly get some relief soon and feel
better.
We get to the cabin after the
longest drive of my life. This place is so
far out of the way that there’s no way
anyone will find us here. I feel safe
instantly and look forward to resting in a
secure and stable place for a change.
Aiden moves all of our things into
the same room. I don’t even attempt to
help. I don’t feel like I have the strength
and if I tried they would both flip out on
me anyway. I hit the shower right away
and begin to feel some relief. I hurry
thr o ugh the process of washing to
shorten the memories of Taron running
through my mind.
I keep reminding myself that I have
to do this. I have to walk away from him
or I’ll drag him down with me.
The doctor arrives shortly after we
do. The boys give us privacy and I
begin to tell her everything that I’m going
through. She decides to give me anxiety
medicine to help calm my nerves. She
suggests a local counselor to help me
work through the emotions of the attack
and stalker issues that Dylan has caused.
I feel like things are going to actually be
ok for the first time in weeks.
“I’m going to run blood work to
see if anything else is going on with
you.”
She
begins to write the
prescription for my anxiety medicine
when she pauses to look up at me. “Is
there any possibility that you can be
pregnant?”
Her question shocks me and I
instantly reply, “No way possible.”
“Ok, because this medication can’t
be taken by anyone who is pregnant or
nursing. I’ll be running your blood work
soon to test for it anyway, but thought I’d
ask before I prescribe this.”
I sit there looking at her in
complete disbelief. There is no way that
I’m pregnant. Life can’t be that cruel.
My thoughts travel back to my first night
with Taron.
“There’s a slight chance that I can
be.” I’m twisting inside thinking about