Page 156 of A Sky Full Of Stars

Emotion fills my chest until it’s so tight I’m struggling to breathe, but it’s not suffocating. If anything, it brings me peace. “I’m not planning on walking away,” I say honestly. “You’re the only star in my orbit too.”Always have been.

Thomas’s gaze softens, and though he tries to hide it, I don’t miss the way his shoulders drop as his body deflates. As though an invisible tension just left him.

“Fuck, those words mean so much to me, Lainey. You don’t even understand.”

“Actually, I do.” Biting my lip, I lower the sheet, exposing the small tattoo that marks my hip, waiting for Thomas to look. He lets out a strangled groan as his gaze follows mine, lingering on my chest, his lips parting. I’m about to tell him he’s lookingat the wrong thing when he sucks in a breath, his eyes flashing to mine.

“You got a tattoo?” He stares at me in awe, and I swear I see his eyes water before he blinks it away.

“I did.” I nod, biting my cheek to stave off my own tears.

“They’re…they’re stars.” The emotion sets in his features as his gaze moves back to the intricate design I have tattooed on my hip. It’s not a particular constellation, or anything that would mean anything to anyone else, but the collection of stars means something to me, and from the look in Thomas’s eyes, he feels the same. The expression on his face is exactly why I did it. For him. For us. For that little beacon of hope I always held on to.

“Holy fuck, this means everything, Lainey,” he says, making me smile. “How did I miss this last night?”

“You spent most of the night behind me.” I laugh, expecting to make him smile, but his expression turns serious.

“This is real, isn’t it?” he whispers, his eyes still on the design.

“The tattoo?” I ask with a giggle, though I know he’s asking so much more than that.

“I mean us.” He smiles. “This. For years, I didn’t think it would happen, but I couldn’t let you go.”

“What happened while I was gone?” I ask, reaching out to clasp his hand. “How come you never messaged me?” I know we’ve briefly touched on this, but now that it’s morning, I want to talk about it again.

“I wanted to. God, I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I tried, Lainey. I fucking tried to work on myself. I promised to fix things but I failed. And that meant I failed you too. I never got to the point where I felt like the guy worthy enough to bring you back into my world. I still don’t think that.”

“But I’m here.”

“You are.” He smiles. “And though it’s selfish, I want you to stick around. I want you to be here while I keep working on myself. I want you to help.”

“I could have helped back then too.”

Thomas’s smile turns to sadness. “I know, but I couldn’t risk bringing you down with me.”

“And now?”

“You came back on your own, you’re stronger, you danced, and I already feel lighter. But if you tell me you’re not ready, I’ll walk away until you are. I don’t ever want to be the person that ruins your life.”

I stare into his eyes, and while he’s smiling, I can see a shadow over his soul. There’s more going on inside him, and I’m not even sure he realizes it himself.

“Thomas—”

“I need to tell you something,” he rushes out, cutting me off. “Before you tell me one way or another.”

“Okay.” My insides squirm at the urgency in his tone.

“I know about the photo.” He clears his throat. “I’ve seen it.”

Oh fuck.My breathing quickens, and despite knowing that was a possibility, I still don’t know how to feel. I’ve moved on from that time in my life, but it’s still hard to think of him seeing it, to wonder how it madehimfeel.

“I’m sorry, I thought my gran made it disappear before…”

“You’re sorry?” Thomas’s eyes widen as he frowns. “Lainey, you have nothing to be sorry about. This is all on the fucker that took the photo, the guy that—”

I gasp, cutting him off, and watch as Thomas’s shoulders drop in sympathy.How does he know?

“After you left the night we broke up, Luke came home,” he begins, and my mouth drops open before I cover it with my hand, holding back another gasp. “I was sobroken that I told him about you, a little part of me hoping he’d beat the shit out of me becauseat the moment, I deserved it.” He takes a deep breath and smiles. “Only the fucker wasn’t all that shocked. Said it was about time one of us told him.”

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