Inked: A Driven World Novel (The Driven World), стр. 42

I feel for him. I know how painful memories and regrets are, if that’s what he’s going through, but equally I know that there’s nothing I can do right now other than wait him out.

“Let’s go,” he says eventually before he begins marching down the street.

This time he doesn’t reach for my hand.

He comes to a stop at a diner and pulls the door open for me.

“Morning, Corey. Whoa… who’s this?” the lady behind the counter says, excitedly looking from Corey to me.

“Hi, I’m Harlow.”

“I’m Laura, and I’m shocked.”

“Leave it,” Corey barks. “We’ll be over in the corner,” he says to the woman who clearly knows him fairly well.

We take a seat, but the tension between us is palpable and I kick myself for ruining how easy things had been between us this morning.

“You know her well?” I ask in the hope of breaking the discomfort surrounding us.

“Kind of. She’s one of my artists’ sisters. I come in here most mornings for food. Here.” He slides the menu over to me and effectively ends my attempt at a conversation.

“What can I get you both?”

“The usual please and…”

“Um… waffles and bacon, please,” I say when my eyes land on the first thing on the menu.

“Thank you. I’ll be back with your coffees in a moment.”

The silence returns the second Laura steps away.

“Corey?” He turns his haunted blue eyes on me and my breath catches in my throat. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” I’ve got so many questions, from his nightmare to his scars, to how it’s affecting him now, but I can’t ask. I daren’t.

“It’s okay. I’m going to need to take you home after this. I’ve got to get to work soon.”

“I can call myself an Uber. You don’t need to…” I trail off, hoping that he’s going to refuse my offer and demand he takes me home, but all he does is nod. Something inside me dies. I know he warned me that there was nothing serious here, but it seems my heart ignored it and got carried away with itself anyway.

Tears burn the backs of my eyes, but I blink any away, not that I think he’d notice. He’s too lost in his own head right now to pay me any attention.

He stares out the window as Laura fills our mugs and the silence stretches out to us eating our food. Well, I say eating, I mostly just push mine around my plate. Any appetite I might have had vanished the moment I mentioned his nightmare.

The second we’ve finished, he pays the bill before getting up and walking outside. I have no idea if it’s me he’s trying to escape from or his memories, but it stings.

I book myself an Uber and make the most of the facilities before joining him outside when I know the car is about to arrive.

“Thank you for last night. And this morning.” Reaching up on my tiptoes, I place a kiss to his cheek, but he doesn’t register the move. It’s like the soft and gentle man that I know exists has left his body, leaving behind a cold shell of a person.

With a sigh, I step toward my awaiting car and pull the door open. I’m about to climb inside when his voice stops me.

“Harlow?” I turn back to him. The haunted look still covers his face, but his eyes are a little brighter than a few moments ago.

“Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry.”

Before I know what’s happening, I’m pressed up against his body, his fingers are in my hair, and his lips are on mine.

I feel the desperation in his kiss. I recognize it because I’ve felt it myself on more than one occasion as I’ve craved the relief from my memories.

His tongue sweeps into my mouth as his arm wraps around my back and holds me tightly.

I start to think he’s never going to release me, but eventually he pulls back from my lips and rests his forehead on mine. He keeps his eyes closed for a beat before dragging his heavy lids open.

“I’m sorry, I just—”

“I get it, Corey. I really, really do. Go and sort your head out. If you want to talk or… not, call me.” He nods, telling me that he heard, before releasing me.

“Thank you,” he mouths before watching me get into the car.

I breathe out a tense sigh as the car pulls away. That wasn’t how I was expecting our time together to end. I kick myself for not being able to keep my lips shut about that damn nightmare, but at the same time, I’m glad I mentioned it. If it gets him talking, whether it’s to me or someone else, then it might help.

Jesus, I sound just like all the people who’ve given me ‘helpful’ advice over the years.