I shrug because I’m too afraid to tell Andy the truth. Not like this. Not after I rejected him.
“I’ve been there for you through everything, Noya,” he states as his entire body trembles. “I’ve protected you from bad people who could hurt you.”
“When?” I breathe in disbelief.
“Your entire life!” he barks. “If it weren’t for me, you would have never survived high school.Everyonewould know what you let your fucked up dad do to you because you were always too chickenshit to stand up for yourself.” He leans away, shaking his head and curling his upper lip. “You aren’t six anymore, Noya. You areseventeen. Why don’t you leave? It’s like you want him to beat you up. It’s twisted.”
I reach for the door handle and look away to hide the sting of tears behind my eyes. “Um, thank you for the ride, but I’m going to go now.”
“Wait,”—He grabs the door handle and, with enough force, slams the door shut—“Don’t leave me.”
“Andy,” I warn. “Let me leave.”
“No.” He leans closer to me. “Maybe you just need me to show you that your feelings can come back.”
What?
My hands instinctively reach out, pushing on his chest as he closes his eyes and leans into me. “Andy, stop.”
His arm snakes around my waist, and he pulls me towards him. A sharp, jagged sting hits my abdomen from the pain earlier in the morning, and the hands that are my barrier move to my belly to hug the pain away.
Andy pushes me towards him, and his mouth finds mine as his hand presses on the back of my head. I wiggle, moving my hands out to his chest, but they are like iron.
My eyes widen, but only for a fleeting moment. The arms that push Andy back slump, and my entire body goes limp in defeat. Everything becomes numb and distant, as if I’m not in my body anymore.
His hand touches my chest, and his mouth opens, deepening the kiss. Unable to contain the torture, my eyes roll to the back of my head as darkness sweeps through me.
“Noya,”a familiar, soft-spoken voice comes into focus.
Reaching out to the voice, memories flood back, and I respond with a grunt before I cringe and shy away as I return to reality. Opening my eyes, I notice I’m lying down, and Andy, Olivia, and Conner lean over me. Unable to process things clearly, I sit up and scan the room, realising I’m in Olivia’s office at the back of the supermarket.
“You’re awake.” Olivia breathes a sigh of relief. “When your friend carried you in here, I freaked out. He said you passed out from heatstroke or something…”
I look at Andy, but he won’t hold my gaze. “Um…yeah.”
“You poor thing,” Olivia coos. “You should go home and rest tonight. I will get Quinn to cover your shift. He had had way too many days off.”
I sit up and say, “But I need the money.”
“Sorry, dear, but I will not let a sick woman work. Get some rest, and you can make up for it next week, okay?”
I bite my lip and nod. “Okay,” I whisper.
Conner steps forward and lowers his hand to me. “I’ll take you home, Noya.”
I lean away, feeling my heart thumping at the flooding memories of Andy wrapping his arms around me. He forced himself onto me, but what if…
What if…
“Um…Olivia, could you take me home, please?”
I avoid Conner’s gaze as he lowers his hand and stands up straight. Olivia looks between them when Andy leaves quickly after telling me he will see me tomorrow. I don’t respond.
Conner stays, and his gaze burns against my skin, but I’m too scared to look at him.
“Sure, sweetheart,” Olivia says.
“Thank you,” I murmur and move by her side.