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Back Where There's A Will Save as PDF
Chapters (39)
  1. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  2. PROLOGUE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. Interlude
  37. Acknowledgements
  38. Content Warning
  39. About the Author

I blink a couple times and give my head a little shake. I mouth back in return, “Nothing.”

He arches his brows before looking away, talking to Reggie once more. He waves off whatever Reggie says, bringing my attention once more to the tattoo on his knuckle.

“It’s the one thing he couldn’t control. Couldn’t touch. The only thing that was in my hands.”

I rub a fist over my sternum as his words play back to me, looking around and remembering where we are, and wondering how I could feel hope in a place like this. A house of literal horrors. And yet somehow, by some miracle, Waylon is smiling right now. Laughing.

He’s smiling and laughing and he has a tattoo reminding him to stay alive. A tattoo inspired by words that have long since lost their meaning to most people. It’s an overused phrase—a cliché that is as ancient as that little voice in my head from when I first saw Waylon again after ten years. The day my soul seemed to climb its way out from the deepest, darkest part of me, reach out, and beg, Please.

I don’t know where we go from here. Who we are when every interaction isn’t a hostage of the past, or a loosely veiled threat to every line of defense we’ve built for ourselves.

Something changed today. Something critical in the foundation of who we are, not only as individuals but to each other. Something changed in our story. I can’t place a finger on what it is, or what it means for me when I leave here. All I know is I feel lighter. Hopeful in a way I haven’t in a long time, even if I know it’s not going to be easy for either of us going forward. All I know is I’m not as scared as I once was.

All I know is that today, I made the decision to let him go once and for all.

And Waylon stopped me.

26

26

Waylon McAllister

The bar erupts in cheers just as I make my way downstairs.

It’s early—barely pushing eight—but by the looks of things, we’re already gearing for a wild night. There’s hardly an inch of space between the crowds of people lined up around each bar, faces upturned toward the television screens mounted across the wall.

It’s Saturday night, and one of the biggest college football games just kicked off.