I Carry Your Heart (Heart Series Book 1) by C.M. King Page B

my face, as the car drove off into the distance.
    Perfect.
    Could not have planned it better.
    I closed the door ready to begin the conversation I knew would ultimately change things forever. But the grave look Joel gave me, sent my heart plummeting.
    “Joel, we need to talk–”
    “Iz please…” He cut me off, letting out a loud exhale of frustration.
    Fuck.
    My eyes flashed to his. “No Joel, I need to say it, I need you know I can’t stop thinking about you. I feel this intensity when we’re together, the way you look at me. I want to be more than friends. I want to be with you. I know Mike won’t be happy but I’ve never felt like this way before, and I know you feel it too, but I need to know for certain. Please tell me what you’re thinking…” The last part came out as a sob, he’d barely given me eye contact throughout. In my heart I knew what that meant, I just had trouble accepting it.
    “Iz…” he whispered. His eyes dropped down to the ground, sending my heart plummeting further.
    He didn’t want me.
    I’d just freed myself of the secret that had tormented me for six years, only to be rejected within a matter of seconds.
    He let out a long, deep breath, he slowly looked back up, his eyes now sad and pained. “We can’t be together, yes I do feel it too but I’m no good for you. You deserve far better than me…”
    “But I want you–”
    “I can’t – I won’t do it to Mike. He warned me off you, he said from day one you were off limits and he’s my best friend. If we get together it will rip your family apart and I love your family, I don’t want to destroy it. We can’t act on our feelings, I think it’s best that we just keep our distance from each other.”
    “NO!” I screamed. “I don’t give a shit about what Mike thinks, if we want to be together then it has nothing to do with him. Please if you feel anything for me you would try, we owe it to ourselves to see where this is heading,” I pleaded, my eyes begging for him to change his mind.
    His eyes burned into mine for a few moments. “Izzy, I have to respect my best friend wishes, god knows I would be the same if I had a sister. We can’t be together and I think we need to keep away from each other, till whatever this is blows over,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
    What the fuck?
    “Blows over, it’s not like a fucking cold, I have feelings for you. I want to be with you and if you felt the same about me, then you would go with what’s in your heart, obviously I don’t mean that much to you then!”
    Joel’s eyes widened and he grabbed my arms, pulling me close to his face. “How can you say that, I am in agony here. I don’t enjoy this misery, it’s killing me.”
    “Then be with me,” I screamed, my voice was so full of anguish I barely recognised it. Everything was crumbling around me, I was grasping on for dear life, hoping and preying for any sign he’d change his mind.
    He immediately dropped his hands, like I was suddenly tainted. He walked over to the window and pressed his face into the glass, taking in long, heavy breaths.
    I stood up, but my feet remained cemented to the floor. Tears streamed down my face, my eyes never left his for a moment. The air had turned toxic and despair filled my lungs, as I struggled to breathe. I knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth.
    He turned around and my eyes locked with his.
    “Please Joel.” It came out more as a whisper. I held my breath, waiting for him to shatter the little piece of hope I had left.
    “I can’t Iz, and you need to accept that. We will never be together.”
    A loud sob broke free. Joel flinched at my response and his jaw tightened. I wanted to collapse in a heap right there but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
    I had to leave.
    I couldn’t bear to be around him a moment longer. I stormed out of the room as the sobs came thick and fast, my body losing the fight to hold them back.
    I raced up the stairs,