The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“I deserve that and more, Sophie. My life is nothing without you. You have no idea how many times a day I think about you, how much it eats me up every second that I made you leave me. How much I just want you back in my life, even if I only get to be friends.” He’s still sniffing back tears, making my heart ache harder and I am trying so hard to hold myself together. Guilt adding itself onto the list of crazy feelings and emotions piling up in my head. I am close to hysteria and about as near the cliff of insanity as one can get before leaping off.

“You didn’t make me leave you. You chose someone else and then told me to go. There is an enormous difference. You can’t undo that.” I throw back, my voice equally ravaged with raw pain and tears, so it hurts my throat, losing all the resolve to stay aggressive and angry and becoming more and more weak and childlike, reverting to fragility I rarely show. Body in defensive mode and moving back anytime he tries to step nearer, knowing I am letting him see me more vulnerable than anyone has for months and hating myself for it. He looks like he desperately wants to grab me but is trying to keep his cool and give me my space. I know I can’t let him touch me or I will fall to pieces and give in.

“I didn’t choose her … I chose to do the right thing and trying to fix all of it, my heart was always with you. It still is. I just didn’t know it until you were gone that I would never be able to fix anything. I never thought about what would happen if you never let me near again, Sophie. It’s killing me. I can’t function anymore, and I can’t keep living every day hoping that I find a way to see you again.” He rubs his hands through his hair, wiping his face and takes deep breaths as though trying to control his own emotion and failing. Every single bit of Arrick Carrero that he is famed for has slid away into oblivion All the cool and calm mannered, emotionally impassive, it’s all gone and I’m not sure I can handle him like this.

“What did you think would happen? That I would stick around, and go back to how it was? That I would play happy families with you and her?” The manic laugh that bursts through my tears makes me realize how dumb this whole conversation is getting, were in the middle of our street, not concealed, and everyone can see us if they want to. I storm past him back to the garden, not even sure why and he follows close on my heels. I don’t owe him my time to even let him talk this out, yet I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting to hear what he has to say without it being so public.

“I don’t know … I figured I would fix it, have both of you and no one would get hurt. That I wouldn’t be the bad guy like my dad was when he hurt my mom with an affair. I didn’t think it through Sophie, I thought you would still need me and would still be in my life. I thought our bond would save us. I reacted to what happened and then I thought you needed cooling off time. I never thought you would just cut all ties with me and that we would just be over; that I would actually lose you.” He stops when I spin on him, complete sarcasm washing over my face, pure disbelief that he could be that dense.

“I did still need you, but what was there for me in that? Why would I stay? I told you I loved you and I wasn’t going to sit and watch you love someone else!” I shake my head at him, unable to fathom how his brain works and step away when he reaches for me again. I lift my hands as if to warn him not to touch me. My heads so screwed up, he has me crazily upside down and all messed up that I don’t know if I should be laughing, crying, raging or leaving. I told myself I would never let him do this to me again. I am so fucking stupid.

“I know … I know that now. It’s all I have thought about for weeks. You are all I think about, constantly, Sophs. I was stupid, and crazy to ever let you go, the biggest jackass in the world. I miss you, so much I’m going out of my mind. You have to believe that! When Jake told me you didn’t want me to contact you anymore, it almost ended me. He told me there was maybe a guy and I didn’t know what else to do, so I stayed away as best I could. I know I fucked up, that I no longer had a right to be anything to you; I have lived with it every second, of every day for months and hated myself for being so fucking dumb.” His red rimmed eyes are focused on mine, still full of tears and nothing but genuine regret. It hurts too much to see. I want to hate him so badly.

“Missed me so much that you just let me go, right?” I turn away, my soul still crushed and tears not subsiding. Hatred and anger trying so hard to stay with me, in a mind that is starting to fall apart.

“No! I came for you when I couldn’t handle it anymore and I saw you with Christian. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest and I left. I couldn’t bear to see you happy with someone else, knowing that I literally let the best thing in my life go when you offered me everything. You have no idea how much I regret it. I have never stopped wanting you; you’re ingrained in my soul, you’re a part of me. I made a mistake, one that has been ruining my life ever since and if there’s even a glimmer of a chance then I’m going to jump on it, because there’s no alternative for me. I fucked up everything that mattered to me when I let you go.” His voice like mine is shaky and hoarse, two souls in pain and yet I can’t stop the anger burning inside, even though a part of me is aching to forgive him.

Always torn when it comes to him and exhausted with the effort of keeping this all together. My head and heart at war between sorrow and rage and I’m on a precipice between needing him and hating him. I want to believe, to let his words heal and count but I also can’t, because he tore me apart and left me alone when it mattered. I turn my back to him in a bid to give myself a little time to get control, to breathe slowly and calm my sobs, but his warm hands slide over my shoulders making me flinch and freeze like a statue.

“What makes you think I will even care now? That any of this means anything to me anymore?” I shrug his hands off my shoulders and move further away, so his touch won’t sway me or burn me. Wiping my face to dry the sodden mess and I jut my chin out defiantly. Trying hard to regain that fire.

“I have nothing else to lose. Without you, nothing means anything anymore. I won’t let you go again without a fight. I know you, I know when you’re hurt you push people away, and that’s what you’re doing now, so I won’t let you do it. I know it’s what I deserve, but knowing there’s no one else. You’re meant for me, you were always meant for me, Sophie. I see that now.” He pleads, his tone destroying me and it only makes my tears fall faster and heavier, unable to dry them at all.

feet. You’re drunk. Go home. I don’t need this.” I sob quietly. My body trembling

only serves to remind me how badly I’m suffering. How stupid I am. I knew I loved you as soon as I lost you. That’s never going to change. I’m not confused

again, hating everything about this, everything he’s saying to me. That inner girl who feels like he is never going to be able to fix what he did

and shrug his hands off. He doesn’t let up, just holds on and keeps pulling me gently, relentlessly, until I finally give in to his tugging and turn, trying not to look him in the eye.

ounces of my energy and makes me empty. I’m losing my fight, losing the fire and it’s being replaced with a broken mess

his voice broken. I glance up at him defeated, my tears continuously finding

rock. I hate that I have made him cry, hate seeing tears running down that flawless face. I don’t want

clear he won’t back down or walk away. He has that stubborn Carrero air about him and it’s only tearing down my defenses. Reminding me of the boy who dragged me out of myself so

lose you.” He urges me, heart on his sleeve and voice raw and I want to tell him I don’t give

him for every second of pain I have endured at his carelessness with my heart. I just can’t, because

my head at him involuntarily, almost as though answering even when I am trying so hard to tell

plead brokenly, willing him to stop

need to hear you say you don’t love me anymore, in any way. I can’t risk missing even the tiniest hint of hope that I can get you back.” His moisture-filled, almost

much pain I have been bottling up for months that I refused to let out for fear it would never stop, and it chooses now to come tumbling out. I close my eyes and cover my face with

care about, that I love you, Sophie Huntsberger, in the way you once told me you loved me.” Arrick grips me tighter when I try to push him

tell me you loved me now? Why not months ago

unable to control the fight of fire and sorrow and losing my war. Arrick lifts his face to mine, pressing his forehead to me, pulling me so I can’t look

I literally can’t breathe anymore, and I want to be worthy of your heart again. I won’t stop trying to put the pieces back together if you let me in. Let me come home to you.” He’s equally fragile, begging me, and I

only thing I can whisper, accusingly, crying not subsiding as his thumb comes to brush my face and I impulsively push it away. He doesn’t break his hold, just brings his hand back and tries again, patiently. This time I don’t bite back and let him wipe some of the wetness away, closing my eyes at his familiar touch and hating

you. An all-consuming lost to everything but you, kind of way, which I will never recover from and I don’t want to recover from it.” He pleads softly but I keep my eyes closed to block him out, try so hard to reign in control of everything letting loose. Unable to