The Forbidden Fruit | 38

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Arabella's POV

Tyler's body stiffened from beside me. Tears no longer flowed down his cheeks but I could still feel it reverberating off his body; the feeling to cry some more, to let the anger and pain out.

I knew it, I knew something was wrong. I knew that somehow Tyler was in trouble whether psychically or emotionally. I felt it in the pit of my stomach and now that I was facing him, broken down beyond points I've ever seen from him before.

I knew that it ultimately broke him. Nothing breaks Tyler Hart. "Ty. . ." I mumbled softly. He shifted, his chin grazing my shoulders as his hands fell limply to his side before he curled it around my waist and dragged me closer to his body. "Don't let go." He murmured softly. If I weren't so close to him I wouldn't have possibly heard the pain and strain in his voice as he spoke.

Oh, Tyler what happened?

"I won't, I promise," I reassured him. When has Tyler ever needed reassuring? Never, and certainly not from me. "Please, tell me what happened," I said as I ran my fingers through his hair. He stiffened once again and shifted his head so that it no longer laid on my shoulder.

He straightened up, unwinded his arms from mine and I let mine fall to my side. He snapped his head towards me and even under the scarce light that illuminated us I could see his glossy brown eyes clearly. "I said don't let go."

I immediately wrapped my arms around him once again, not missing the way his lips quirked upwards. I smiled softly and laid my head on his shoulder and even from here I could hear the faint beating of his heart which I was sure was hammering harshly against his chest if I could hear it clearly.

"What happened?"

"Please don't make me say. I can't, I won't. No matter how much you pry, Arabella I simply can't." He mumbled, his voice sounded as if he were at the brink of tears once again but he seemed to hold it in. He flickered his eyes shut and licked his parched lips before turning his face towards me.

His nose brushed up against mine, his curls tickling it in the process so I reached up and tucked it together with the rest of his hair as I caressed his damp and sticky cheeks. He leaned into my touch and sighed deeply, his warm breath fanning over my face.

At least he wasn't drunk, although he seemed completely distraught he wasn't drunk.

"I can't do this to you, Bella. I can't keep stringing you along for a ride of pain and disappointment."

"Tyler what are you talking about?" I pleaded, my eyes boring into his for some sort of explanation. He shook his head and flickered his eyes to his hands, furrowing his brows as he lifted his head and said, "I want to spend every other day after this with you. Promise me that you'll spend every day with me." He said, sounding like a child pleading to a parent who worked constantly and had little to no time for him.

I frowned deeply, feeling my heartstrings tugging harshly at my heart. It scared me to hear him speak like this, although Tyler was an asshole twenty-four-seven I loved him. And in the time I've loved him I've seen him happy, angry but never distraught.

"I promise, I promise to spend every day after this with you," I said, he nodded his head and leaned it against my shoulders once again. "I may have to do something Arabella. Something you won't like but you have to promise me that when it is done you won't hate me. I can't bear the thought of you hating me any longer."

"Why? After everything that's happened between us, I've never hated you. I thought you abandoned me after we slept together. I let you treat me as if I meant nothing and I still didn't hate you because I knew it wasn't you. I knew you did things because you needed to. Tyler just tell me what this is about, you're scaring me."

"I can't." He said, his voice failing to be firm which only gave me ammunition to get the truth out of him. But like I said, I've never seen Tyler distraught and I didn't know how he harboured and dealt with this emotion before. I know how to handle him when he's angry but not this.

"Do you think I'll hate you when you make whatever choice it is that you have to make?"

He stilled, his breath hitching in his throat before he answered. "I don't know." I sighed deeply and flickered my eyes shut. He remained silent and I suspected that this was where his answer would be left off. I opened my eyes once again and pressed my cheek against his head.

"We need to get out of here."

"I don't want to go back to the dorms. Not tonight." He said, his voice sounding defeated. "Okay, then we'll crash at a motel."

"No, you need to go, you have classes tomorrow."

"So do you. And I'm not leaving you, to hell with that Tyler. I said I'll spend every day with you after this. And it starts now."

~ ~ ~

We pulled up in the dark and empty parking lot of the motel. The entire ride Tyler remained silent, he didn't even answer when I told him that we'd get his car tomorrow since he was in no state to drive.

I sighed as I pulled my key out of the ignition and unlocked my side of the car before slipping out. Tyler followed closely behind, his moves sluggish. I watched as he strolled towards me, his eyes meeting mine. They were no longer bloodshot red and glossy with unshed tears. If I'm being honest it seemed as if the ten-minute ride cleared some of his thoughts, at least enough to keep him from crying again.

I intertwined my hands with his and didn't miss the look of shock that passed through his face. But it subsided quickly as he squeezed my hand and started towards the door.

We stumbled inside the motel and surprisingly despite the hour, someone sat behind the desk fully asleep. Their snores rang through the atmosphere and I willed myself to not laugh. Tyler seemed to find the sight amusing as his lips tugged upwards but not fully.

We approached the desk and I tapped the bell, awakening the person behind it. He let out a yelp and sprung off the chair like a raccoon on red bull. His wild eyes snapped towards us and he nodded his head with an embarrassed chuckle. "I–I'm so sorry ma'am and sir. I kinda fell asleep."

You don't say.

"Can I get a room please."

"Okay no problem, h–how many beds?"

"One," Tyler replied before I could get any words out. I shifted my gaze towards him and he flashed me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Tugging me closer towards him as his arms came around my waist. 

I guess distraught Tyler was also affectionate Tyler.

"That'll be fifty dollars." The man replied. Before I could retrieve my purse Tyler pulled out his wallet and handed the fifty dollars to the guy, who handed him the keys to our room in return. I stared at him perplexed as he bid goodbye and tugged me along after him back outside and through the back where we would then slip into our room.

"I was gonna pay," I said as I kicked my shoes off.

"And that wouldn't be a very gentleman thing of me to let you do so." He mumbled. I slumped down onto the bed and watched as Tyler still in a daze slipped off his sandy shoes. He removed his jacket and retreated towards the bathroom that sat at the end of the room.

I followed in suit behind him and only now under the bright luminescent lights did I see it. The blood sprayed on his fist like he dumped his hand into a carton of red paint. I gasped and rushed towards him, not missing the confused look etched on his face.

I grabbed his hand gently and examined it, realizing that there was a wide gash from his thumb to the middle of his palm. "You're hurt! How–how did I now realize this?!" I exclaimed frantically as I let go of his hand and sat him down onto the toilet with a heavy sigh. "Bella, I'm okay really. This guy tried to pick a fight with me at the bar and he broke a beer bottle and slashed my hand when I tried to stop him but I've hard worse, really."

Like that's supposed to make me feel any better.

Conveniently there was a first aid kit in the cabinet above the sink so I pulled it out and retrieved the gauze and peroxide from it. Tyler gazed up at me like a schoolboy as I uncapped the bottle and carefully poured it onto his wound.

His facial expression never faltered as the peroxide fizzed up, killing all the germs that infested his cut. I rushed back into the room and grabbed one of the small cloths that came with the towels from the closet and got it damp before wiping away at the blood on his hand.

"See, babe. It's only a small scratch."

"It's not!" I exclaimed as I grabbed the gauze and wrapped it carefully around his wound. It surprised me that he didn't gasp or flinch away but kept on gazing at me with a giddy smile. It was the first time tonight that he smiled a genuine smile and I recoiled in shock as I lowered his hand down.

"What? You were hurt." I mumbled softly.

He stood up from the toilet seat and leaned towards me, his hands wrapping around my waist as he dragged me towards his body. We were chest to chest, I could feel his heart pounding against mine, his hot breath on my nose, his skin against mine.

He drew his hands towards my face and trailed his finger against my cheek like hands against a thin sheet of paper. And then he dipped his head lowly and kissed me.

I let myself be caught up in the bliss. My weight lightened as my hands made its way around his neck, his lips worked against mine in the same passionate way that it never failed to do ever since we left New York.

Altogether I couldn't stop the harsh palpitation of my heart as my feet moved against the ground. We were no longer standing in the bathroom as the back of my legs hit the edge of the bed. I let out a small sigh against his lips as my hands found its way to his hair, my fingers moving over the silkiness against his scalp.

I could feel the heat on his body being passed onto me, enveloping me in its warm blanket.

My feet no longer touched the ground and instead, they found refuge around Tyler's waist as he dropped us both onto the plush bed, his body hanging above mine and his hands propped above my head to prevent his weight from crushing me.

I flickered my eyes open as our lips departed from one another and gazed up at him. I couldn't fathom what was happening, couldn't understand how this fragile man appeared so utterly handsome in the dim lights flickering across the room.

His brown hair appeared to have specks of gold across them and his eyes, his eyes held nothing short of love. "Tyler–"

"I want you." He rasped out, his voice sounded rushed as if he knew what thoughts lurked beneath my mind, "I want you right now and no it's not because I'm hurt and fragile and I need comfort, it's because I want to have you in my arms, I want to have all of you. Every precious part that you hold most dear because I love you."

His words were like a slap to my face as they rushed through one ear and lingered in there on repeat in my head. I love you, I love you, I love you.

He loves me.

And I had no doubt in my mind that he didn't. For the way he looked down at me, there was not a thought in my mind that made me believe he was doing this because he was hurt, it's something else, whatever it is that he refuses to admit to me tonight.

"I want you, something that I can say was one of the only good choices I've made in a while. So please, let me have you. All of you." He whispered, his face now hovering directly above mine. His brown orbs glowed in the light and it's as if I could read his thoughts, I want to have you, to love and hold you and never let go.

And that's what I did.

For as I gazed up at the man I love, he was beautiful.

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