"Then maybe I want to feel okay again," he snapped, throwing his hands up. "Maybe I'm the one who hasn’t been okay!"

"You seem to be doing just fine," I shot back shakily.

"Oh, you think so?" he sneered. "Well, you're wrong, because I'm a goddamn mess! I haven't been okay a single damn day since that fire! Since you left my life and everything went dark!"

My breath hitched in my throat. "Daryl…"

"I loved you!" he roared, trembling now. "Jesus Christ, I loved you more than I have ever loved another person on this damn planet! You were my best friend, Molly. You were everything to me. Fucking everything!"

"I know." I choked out a sob, drowning in the pain of the past. "I felt the same."

"I was so fucking scared of losing you that night that I –" Clenching his eyes shut, he shook his head, almost as if he could force the images that were tormenting him away. When he opened his eyes again, they were laced with hurt and accusation. "You know what I did that night. So, don’t treat me like I'm the same as those assholes at school. I'm not and you know it. If I'm here, it's not because I pity you! If I ask you to be my date to a goddamn dance, it's not to ease my conscience! You know why I'm here, Molly. You fucking know what you mean to me so don’t belittle me and my feelings by calling me a liar!"

"I'm not calling you a liar," I cried, pushing my hands through my hair.

"No, you're just tarring me with the same brush as those conceited pricks at school," he sneered, looking wounded. "Hiding your body today? I know what you were doing, Molly."

"That's my choice."

"It's a stupid one," he shot back. "You think I'd treat you any different because you have scars? You think I would judge you because you're a survivor?" he roared. "I'm glad! I'm fucking glad you have those burns because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here!"

"Don't say that!" I screamed. "Please –"

"Don’t say what, Molly?" he demanded. "Don’t say that I'm glad you're alive? Well tough shit, because I am."

Reaching for the hem of his tank, Daryl yanked it over his head.

"No." A pained sob escaped me when my eyes landed on his right shoulder. "Don’t…"

"See – " He closed the space between us, causing my emotions to spiral out of control. "We match." Taking my small hand in his, he traced the rough and uneven skin that covered his right shoulder. "We fit together, Molly." Our joined hands moved from his naked flesh to under my shirt, our fingertips dusting over every jagged edge that linked my misfortune with his. "Like a jigsaw."

"Daryl…" Tears trickled feely down my cheeks now. "I'm so sorry."

"Don’t be," he replied hoarsely. "I'd do it all over again for you." A pained growl escaped his lips and he roughly reached for me, pulling my body flush against his.