AOIFE
Are you going to speak to me?
Nope.
Come on, Molloy. Donโt be cranky.
Shut up and watch the movie.
Iโm not talking. Iโm texting.
Witch.
Yeah, well, I can hear your stupid voice in my head.
Iโm not staying over if youโre not going to talk to me.
Asshole.
Ha! Try and leave. I dare you.
Fine, but Iโm not snuggling you.
Good. I donโt want you to snuggle me. You stink of weed.
Pity itโs not mellowing you out.
Shh. Iโm trying to watch the film!!!
Fine.
Stop playing Snake on your phone.
Stop being a bitch.
I will, as soon as you stop being an asshole!
โFOR FUCKโS SAKE.โ Tossing his phone down on the mattress between us, Joey folded his arms across his chest and glared at my bedroom ceiling. โThis cold shoulder crap is bullshit.โ
No, it wasnโt bullshit.
It was a direct consequence of his bullshit.
With only the screen of my portable television lighting the room, I watched from the corner of my eye as Joey huffed and puffed like a frustrated bull.
My boyfriend was being an asshole, and I had every intention of letting him know it.
Surprisingly, my silence was irking him a hell of a lot more than my words had.
โMolloy.โ Shirtless, he sat straight up on my bed and ran a hand through his hair. โCome on. I havenโt done anything wrong today.โ
โThe fact that you have to add the word today to the statement โI havenโt done anything wrongโ speaks volumes, Joe.โ
โI said Iโm sorry.โ โI know you did.โ
โThen what do you want from me?โ
โI want you healthy.โ
โI am healthy,โ he growled, flopping back down on the mattress. โFuck.โ
I knew that he was teetering on the edge of trouble again, and I refused to let him topple over that cliff twice.
The fact that he couldnโt remember a word of the conversation we had yesterday when I spilled my damn guts to him was horrible.
I couldnโt explain how difficult it was for me to get those words out, and he just didnโt hear me.
Knowing that I was carrying his unborn child, while he was dallying with his health was even more terrifying.
โIโm not doing this again, Joe,โ I told him. โIโm not letting you do this again.โ
โLetting me,โ he spat the words like they were offensive. โYou donโt get to let me do shit, Aoif. I do my own thing.โ
โUh-huh, sure thing, asshole,โ I mocked, increasing the volume on the television remote. โI flushed your stash, by the way.โ
He narrowed his eyes at me. โI donโt have a stash.โ
โYou donโt?โ I narrowed my eyes right back at him. โThen whose prescription pills were those in the front pocket of your school bag?โ
โYou searched my bag?โ
โYep.โ I smiled sweetly. โSure did.โ
โFor fuckโs sake,โ he muttered, rubbing his face with his hand. โWhereโs the baggie, Molloy?โ
โThe baggie is in my rubbish bin. The contents of the baggie are on the way out to sea.โ
โYou didnโt seriously flush my pills?โ
โI seriously did, stud.โ
โJesus Christ. Do you know how much those cost me?โ Sitting straight up once again, my boyfriend dropped his head in his hands and bit back a roar. โFuck, Aoif, I told you I have it under control.โ
โAnd I told you that Iโm not letting you do this again.โ โIโm fine.โ
โAnd Iโm making sure that you stay fine.โ
โThis is ridiculous,โ he grumbled, twisting around to face me. โYou do realize that no other lad would take this shit from his girlfriend.โ
โWhat shit exactly?โ Tossing the remote down, I sat straight up and faced him. โThe part where I try to keep you alive?โ
โIโm not dying.โ
โYou could dieโโ My voice cracked, and I sucked in a sharp breath, desperately trying to school my features, as I met his stare head on. โI love you.โ
โI know.โ Emotion flickered in his eyes, and he bowed his head. โI love you back.โ
โNo. You donโt get it. You are the love of my life,โ I bit out, catching his chin and forcing him to look at me. โWhat I feel for you? How deeply I love you? Itโs fucking insane, Joe. So, yeah, Iโm going to do the right thing for you every time, whether that pisses you off or not, because I want you here with me. On planet earth. For a long time.โ
โIโm not going anywhere,โ he whispered, snatching my hand up in his. โIโm never leaving you, Molloy.โ
โSee, I know you believe that,โ I replied, tone thick with emotion. โBut every time you snort a line or pop a pill, youโre playing Russian roulette with your life and my heart.โ