Savior Complex: A Small Town Love Triangle Romance

“I’m so fucking sorry,” I say when she’s done. Her face is like stone, though the tears have formed silent trails down her cheeks. I want to scoop her into my arms and make up for everything those assholes did to her. I want to heal the wounds that are obviously still fresh inside her, even ten years later. I want to hunt down each one of those bastards and kick the living shit out of them.

But I can’t do anything, and it fucking kills me.

“Is this why you came here?” I ask. “You said it was kind of like therapy.”

She nods. “When I came to live with my Nanna, she thought riding lessons would help, and it did in so many ways. At least it kept my mind off it.” She looks around, her eyes widening a little as she appears to notice the people around us again. The crowd has dispersed a bit, though a few stragglers remain behind.

“I wondered when I came here today if it would feel the same as it did back then.” She looks back at me and smiles. “You know…peaceful. Safe.”

“And does it?”

She nods, slipping her hands from mine and clasping them in her lap. I’m struggling so hard to not take her hands back. To kiss them. To pull her closer to me.

“You did not deserve to be hurt like that,” I say, and she shakes her head.

“It’s fine, I—”

“No, it’s not fine.”

She swipes at her eyes then gives me a shaky smile. When I don’t return it, she sighs, losing the brave look on her face.

“It’s not fine,” she agrees. “That whole time of my life was really fucked up. My mom didn’t know how to deal with me. She never told my dad. She wouldn’t let me tell anyone, though I broke down and let Nanna know.” She takes a deep, shaky breath before continuing. “At first my mom was so concerned for me, but it’s like this switch went off. She made me feel like the whole thing was my fault, and for years I believed her. Even now, I—”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I say angrily. She gives me a small nod.

“I know it’s not,” she says. “But you try to stop believing something that’s been told to you for years.”

I start to argue with her more, but she looks so utterly exhausted, I stop.

“Are you okay?”

She nods. “It was a long time ago,” she says. “I’m okay, it’s just hard to talk about. Or when something triggering brings me back to that night.”

“Like the night we met,” I murmur.

She looks up at me then, her eyes shining from tears and firelight. The connection is electric, just like it was that night.

“You felt it, right?”

“I should go.” She shoots me an apologetic look while I do my best to hide my disappointment.

“So soon?” But I get up at the same time she does. “Six in the morning does come quick.”

She looks at her phone to check the time, then groans. “Like in six hours.” She looks back at her chair, then snatches the plate on the armrest with the half-eaten dessert. “But first, it would be a shame if I didn’t finish these s’mores. They’re way too good to throw away.”

She bites into it, moaning at the taste while her eyes close. “Never in my life would I have thought smashed berries could improve a perfectly delicious s’more,” she says. “You have officially ruined basic s’mores for me.”

“I sincerely apologize,” I say, not sorry at all. She has a little berry at the corner of her lip, and I don’t even think as I reach forward and rub it away before licking it off my thumb. I freeze, the pad of my thumb still at my mouth as I taste the combination of berry and the essence of her swollen lips. Her eyes are wide as she bites the place where my thumb had been, her gaze remaining on mine. The flames from the fire are dancing in her eyes, and it’s easy to forget there’s a crowd of people moving all around us, because all I see is her.

I take one step closer, and her breath catches.

“Nina, I—”

“I should go,” she repeats, taking one step back. I look at the ground, feeling like a complete idiot. What am I thinking?

“I’m sorry, I—”

“No, it’s late.” She smiles softly. “I’ve had the best day today, better than any I can remember, and I honestly wish I could stay all night. But if I don’t leave, I’m never going to get any sleep, and I’ll be useless tomorrow. Besides, the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner tomorrow will get here.”