Page 96 of Goodbye Note

I nodded, not fully processing. “And what does that mean for you?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet.” He rolled to his back, putting space between us. Which I didn’t want.

“Okay.” I traced my fingers over his hip, letting myself stay in the moment, not giving into any of the panic threatening to tell me all the ways I could fuck this up.

I thought he fell asleep, and I wouldn’t blame him, but then he spoke.

“I want you to kiss me when you feel like kissing me.”

“That’s going to be a lot, star boy.”

“Like how often?” he asked.

“Every time we are alone.” I risked scooting close, pressing into his side.

“That often?”

“Do you even know how sexy you are?” I rasped my words against his ear.

“Pretty hot if I’m scoring a guy like you.” The smile came through his voice, and it soothed some of the parts of me I didn’t know needed it.

“You have no idea, star boy. None at all.”

“Stay tonight.”

“Don’t I stay every night?” I pulled a blanket over us. “We are going to have to be up soon. You should sleep at least a little.”

“I don’t want to sleep.”

“Why not?”

Arik opened one eye.“Because I don’t want to waste a minute of this. I don’t want it to end.”

“It’s not going to end. We have the rest of the summer.” I chuckled.

“I know, but I feel like we’ve already wasted so much time. I hate the idea of letting any more moments slip away.”

“Sleep. Or you won’t be able to perform.”I kept him close.

“I’ll make you go onstage for me if my brain is too tired.”He laughed, and I loved it.

“As much as I would like to, I don’t think your fans will take my voice in place of yours.”

“Then you can hold me up, puppet me.” He laughed and curled into me. Finally.

“Fine, you stay awake. I’m sleeping so I don’t make any more bad decisions.”

“What kind of bad decisions?”Arik asked, his voice pitching.

“Shh. No more questions.”

He grumped but settled into my embrace.

* * *

I woke to an empty bunk.

Cold sheets where Arik had been.

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