The Last Round by Emmy L. Montes Read Free Book Online Page B

the director yells from a few feet away. Liam and I nod. I remember the scene. I try to put myself in Jenna McDaniel’s thoughts. She’s broken. She’s afraid of losing the one man who has showed her how to slowly love herself. She’s afraid that once he knows of her illness, he’ll walk away, never looking back. I shut my eyes and allow every bottled up emotion I held onto for the past two years rise to the surface.
    “Take one,” the director yells out.
    I open my eyes and my fingers are shaking, but not from nerves. They are shaking because of the powerful emotions running through my body: every single fear, love, lust, and discouragement I felt in my life comes forward and powerful, and I am ready to show everyone what I am made of.
    “Action,” the director yells, and we begin. I lean against the tree trunk and look at Liam. He starts.
     
    “Before you say anything at all, just let me think for a second. Just let me say what I have to say first. Let me get it off my chest. Then you can say whatever you want. Okay?”
    I nod.
    His gaze falls to my mouth where his finger rests. He traces the bow and curve of my lips, slowly, as if memorizing the shape of them. My breathing grows a bit ragged. Liam takes his other hand and runs his fingers through my hair, down my spine, until his hand lands firmly at my lower back. “I’ve missed you all weekend,” he confesses.
    “If you missed me, then why—”
    His finger silences me again. “I had to see if what I’m feeling is because we’re spending so much time together or if it’s real. But what does it matter if it’s real or not? You won’t accept it,” he murmurs.
    “Logan, I have no clue what you’re talking about. Just tell me what’s going on with you,” I beg.
    “I’m falling for you. Hard. And it’s not some bullshit girl-next-door crush.” He stumbles back two steps. “I mean a real fucking hardcore, madly-sinking-for-you kind of fall. I don’t know.” He shakes his head, bewildered. I shake my head and he nods. “Yes.”
    “No. It’s just because we spend a lot of time together, Logan. You’re confused. Trust me, what you’re feeling—”
    “Don’t tell me what I’m feeling!” His features distort into anger. “I know what I’m feeling. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time now. I just kept ignoring it. Do you think this is easy for me? To stand in front of you and pour out my feelings like some chick? I feel pathetic right now.” Liam bends his head, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead. “You’re the worst distraction I’ve ever had. You’re in all my thoughts, every single one. You have no idea how difficult it is to have something take over your mind like that. It’s confusing and suffocating at the same time.”
    “You have no idea how much I know exactly what that’s like,” I say, my tone impassive.
    Liam looks up. “Can you just do me a favor? Right now, right here—can you just be honest for once? I know I’m not the only one feeling this.” He waves a hand at the empty space between us. “If I’m wrong, then fine, but I know I’m not. I know this is mutual. I know you feel it too.”
    “I’m sorry, Logan. I do care for you, but not in the same way.”
    He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Bullshit.”
    “Excuse me?”
    He chuckles, his lips twitching into a firm, thin line. I pull my hand away. He shakes his head. “Fucking bullshit. You know what your problem is, Jenna? You’ve worked so hard building this wall to keep everyone out. But when there’s someone willing to tear down every brick because they want to be a part of your life, you freeze. You’re scared to let anyone in. Don’t push away the ones who care because in the end, there might be no one left, and you’ll have exactly what you always wanted—to be alone. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just let go. If you don’t, you’ll never experience what you could’ve had. Instead, you’ll wonder what if. And