Chapter 14

I was the first to give in after a long silence. Shawn took the chance to go from tugging at my clothes to slipping his hand into mine. I looked down and saw his eyes were red-rimmed, like he had been crying. With a sigh, I crouched down and gently wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Why are you crying?" I asked. He glanced at me sideways and mumbled, "I was scared you didn't want me anymore…" I couldn't help but find it a little ironic. Back when I bent over backward to care for Shawn, he couldn't wait to tell me to leave. And now that I had finally kept my distance, he was afraid I'd disappear for good. "Shawnie, do you really mean that? Because I haven't forgotten who used to yell at me to leave the Paynes every single day." The moment he heard that, he panicked, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. "I was wrong, I was wrong… I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. Please don't go, alright?" When I didn't respond, he broke down into loud sobs. I should've just walked aw