Earning Her Trust: Braxton Arcade Book One by Adore Ian

Author:Adore Ian
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732500112
Publisher: Adore Ian

16

Damian

I’m a miserable son of a bitch.

Exams are killing me and I haven’t seen Marrin in almost two weeks. I know she’s busy with exams and that she needs time to think about our relationship. I also know she thinks I won’t understand about the things that have gone wrong in her life.

That hurts the most.

I’d thought the same thing about her at first. But in the last few weeks, I’ve realized that I can tell her about my abuse and she’ll understand. I wish she trusted me enough to feel the same, but I understand if she can’t. I’m not exactly sure what happened to her, but I know from my own experience how terrifying and paralyzing confessing your trauma can be. Especially to someone you care about.

I just wish I could talk to her.

I’ve sent her a few texts letting her know I understand she’s not ready to tell me things. That I’m willing to listen if she wants to talk. I tell her I don’t want to pressure her and that I’m still loyal to her until she tells me we’re not exclusive anymore. I tell her I won’t contact her until our exams are over.

I sound so desperate.

I take my last final on Thursday. It’s the second week of December and tomorrow is the last day of exams. I know I shouldn’t, but I decide to head to the Braxton to see if Mar’s working. When I walk in, I am instantly disappointed when I see only Elle working the bar. Cat People is playing on the projector and a wave of sadness ripples through me.

“Hey, Elle,” I say, taking a seat.

“Hey. Can I get you a drink?”

“I’ll take an IPA. You done with exams?”

“I have one more tomorrow at noon. You?”

“Finished today.”

“Lucky.”

“Don’t you normally work with Marrin Thursday nights?”

“Yeah, but it gets slow here once everyone leaves for winter break, so she picked up some hours at her other job when she finished with exams.”

I can’t keep the hurt off my face. I didn’t know she was done with finals.

“Hey, handsome,” Priya says, stepping out of the break room. “You look like someone killed your puppy.”

Certainly feels that way.

“Just wiped from exams.”

She gives me a look like she knows exactly why I’m here, and I immediately regret coming. A few minutes later, she sends Elle home for the night. Then it’s just the two of us.

Priya wipes the bar in front of me. “She’s not here.”

“I’ve noticed.” I gulp my beer. “I told her I loved her.”

“What’d she say?”

“She said it back. Told me she needed space. And now I think she’s avoiding me.”

“Damn,” she exhales. “I thought it was odd she picked up so many hours at the 13th Floor, but I figured it was because her semester was over.”

Marrin’s never told me the name of the other place she works. I keep that knowledge to myself. “Any advice?”

“Have you tried talking to her?”

I deadpan. “No, that hadn’t crossed my mind.” I wipe a hand over my face.

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