Page 82 of Goodbye Note

This couldn’t be…

But I wasn’t…

He pushed to his feet, tugging off his tee by the back of his neck. “Do you have a tee I could borrow? After sweating in this one all day, I don’t want to wear it to bed.”

“Sure,” I dug in the extra bunk I used as a closet, giving him one and trading mine out for a fresh one too, then tossed him a pair of basketball shorts, kicking off my jeans to put on a pair myself.

The Sharpie fell out of my pocket.

“Do you really just carry that around everywhere?” Varian asked.

“I never know when the mood is going to strike to write on you.” I bent to pick it up.

“I’ve let you draw on me all these shows. Now I get to do it to you.” He held out his hand for the marker.

I passed it over, surprising even myself. “What are you gonna write?”

He took my arm, drawing on the inside.

I watched, not saying a word until he finished. “That’s not a word.”

“No, it’s better.”

“Is this a galaxy…two galaxies?” I asked.

“Medusa merger. They are colliding.”

“What made you draw galaxies colliding?”

“Because even stars can’t resist gravity, and they can’t help it. No one can resist the pull or inevitable collide.”

“No one,” I echoed his words. “Neither can we.”

“Are you fighting it?” Varian asked like he knew what I’d been feeling.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“You’re going to be up all night thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Was I?

Would I collide or fly straight on?

My chest heaved, and before I knew what I was doing, I shoved off the wall and grabbed his face, pressing my lips to his.

I don’t know what came over me. Varian didn’t move, and my heart hammered in my ears.

What the fuck was I doing?

I started to pull back, but his lips moved, parting slightly.

And then his hands moved over mine, keeping me in place.

TWENTY-FOUR

VARIAN

Shock locked my muscles, and it wasn’t until his tongue teased against my lips that I forced myself to move. My hands over his, pressing into my cheeks. Our tongues met, and I got my first taste of him, pulling a groan from my throat. He smiled at that, pleased with himself. I didn’t have to see him to know how smug it was.

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