You Can't Hide From Yourself Novels & Stories

; "we need each other for different reasons." Are we hiding from the world? Could we be shams? Yes! Maybe for others. We're forced into it, with or without a contract. At least Jonathan respects my dance. It's the rest of the world that has a problem dealing with our personal tastes and choices. I finally notice that Jonathan hasn't come back with my clothes and go look for him. I enter the corridor where his room is and see the light that comes through the open door, and I walk over slowly. As I step by the door, I notice he's standing there motionless, with a lost gaze. I shouldn't have argued with him and really want to apologize because, truth be told, he's not to blame, and I agreed wit

I stood to my feet and began to pace around the room. No matter what happened, I was determined to stay strong for my sake. "I'm coming out to you because I no longer want to live in hiding. Mum, I was in a relationship with a girl for over a year." I burst the bubble, deciding not to mention Grace's identity since we were no longer a thing, just so my mum wouldn't throw judging eyes at her. "We recently only broke up but that's not the point. During this time, I was unable to talk to you about my feelings, what I was going through, seek your advice because I feared judgement."

That isn’t what someone does if they are hiding things, is it? “Cut that out. You will wake him. Even after that performance he still isn’t out cold. You need to learn how to keep a part of yourself for you. That’s what you want isn’t it? A safe place where you can lock away the thoughts and doubts that keep you up at night? Somewhere even our mates can’t access them.” She uses the same tone Hattie and Becks do when they are trying to convince me to do something we all know we shouldn’t.

“That the strongest thing you can ever be… is simply yourself. Unapologetically. Completely. Without cutting away parts to please anyone. Without hiding parts to fit inside rules. Without changing yourself to be safe. Because when you are truly yourself… you do not need to fight anyone. You just… exist. And that existence alone… is already enough to undo every lie that was ever told.” Later that night, when everyone else slept, I walked out to the very edge of the ridge, where the ground fell away steeply and the world stretched out dark and wide below. Above me the stars burned bright and clear, exactly as they had always done, exactly as they would always do — fixed and moving, steady and

“And then what? You seem to have thought it through and made up your mind, so tell me. What happens after you leave? You leave her with a lot of questions. You leave her wondering if she was the one that wronged you. You just don’t disappear on people Damian. It doesn’t work that way. The problem you’re running from is always going to be there except you solve it. Life will not solve your problems for you. It never will. You have to sit up and solve it yourself. Disappearing on Anna will only make it worse and one day, you will come back and I don’t care if you’re mated to her or if you’re destined to be together, she will move on from you and the bitch if us know that you can’t handle that”

“Not more than I deserve you.” The SUV slows as it approaches a narrow, unlit road. The driver takes it without hesitation, heading out of the city. The buildings fade behind us. The streets become emptier. The sound of traffic disappears. Inside the dark car, I say something I have held for hours. “I do not want to disappear.” Ale looks confused. “You suggested it.” “Yes. Because I thought it was the best strategy. But I am tired of hiding. I am tired of letting them control the narrative. I am tired of being afraid of a woman who survives on manipulation and cruelty.”

"About how far that feels from here." He was quiet for a moment. "It does," he said. "Not bad far," I said. "Just distance. Actual distance. Between who I was then and who I am now." "Who are you now?" he asked. I thought about it honestly. "The same person," I said. "Just less hidden." I paused. "Less hidden from myself, mostly. I always knew who I was. I just spent a long time not letting it be visible." I held his gaze in the dark. "You made it visible. Not by pushing. Just by being patient enough that the hiding stopped feeling necessary."

He was offering truth—the kind that left no room for self-deception. “I don’t want to lose you,” Adrian whispered. “Then stop hiding from me.” Tears burned at the back of Adrian’s eyes, and he turned his face away before they could fall. He had spent so long hiding—from his family, from his friends, from himself. And Liam… Liam was asking him to step into the light, fully exposed. But could he? Adrian opened his mouth, ready to try, when movement caught his eye across the park. A figure lingered near the trees—half-hidden, but unmistakable.

Not just for you, but for me. For a long time, I have tried to be what I thought others wanted. No, that’s not true. It wasn’t because of what others wanted. It was to hide in plain sight. I was so terrified I inherited some of that evil inside my dad. That my dad was right; there was something bad inside of me. So I did everything I could to hide that evil. I tried to be as good as I could be. Kind to everyone. A doormat, a teddybear, only ever standing up for those I loved, but never myself.”

Just me. Always just me. I don’t know how long I sit there, frozen, before something shifts in me. Clicks into place. A heat. A spark. Logan won’t always come to my rescue. I repeat that out loud, voice trembling. “I need to stop being a coward.” I don’t believe it yet. But I say it again. “I need to stop being a coward.” Because I can’t keep hiding. I can’t keep living like this. Running. Flinching. Locking myself in dark rooms hoping monsters don’t find me.