Page 33 of A Sky Full Of Stars

The night goes on and I don’t see Thomas much except for the occasional unwelcome glance in his direction, my eyes betraying me. Especially when I happen to look his way as he leaves with the brunette Luke introduced to him, his arm wrapped around her shoulders, not a care in the world. I wait for the extra sting, but it’s not as bad as I would have thought. Probably because I saw it coming and never once thought otherwise. Luke’s mentioned on a number of occasions that he and Thomas are the same like that—no-strings kind of guys—and now that I’ve finally seen it, maybe it will help me move on.

I’m exhausted by the time I get home—socializing often does that to me—so when I walk into my bedroom, I don’t even bother turning the light on as my bed calls for me. All that stands in my way is a clean set of pajamas.

Walking blindly to my dresser, I fumble around until I find two satin items. I only have one pair of satin pajamas, so at least I know they match.

As soon as I’ve changed, I fall onto my bed, my eyes closing instantly.

Thoughts of Thomas and Jace swirl through my mind, and no matter how hard I try to focus on Jace, Thomas wins out. Even after I force myself to picture Jace’s protective arms wrapped around my back, or his palms cupping my face, the second Ilook into his eyes, they’re greenish-bronze, not brown. They’re Thomas’s.

Whenever my thoughts of Thomas move into unsafe territory, I usually cut them off, but since I know what he’s doing tonight—with someone else—I allow myself this moment, hoping I can mold the thoughts of him kissing me with the thoughts of him sleeping around. As a way to make my feelings for him a little more jaded.

I imagine his hand on my face, his thumb brushing along my cheek. I picture his eyes staring into mine as he tells me how beautiful I am, and then, clear as day, I see his lips moving toward mine, ready to—

A knock startles me from my fantasy, and my eyes flash to the door, waiting to hear who it is. I stay quiet, hoping they’ll leave me alone, but when the knock comes again, it’s louder and coming from the window.

With my heart thumping in my chest, I get out of bed and slowly walk over. I’d normally be rushing to let Thomas in, but tonight feels different, and I don’t know if it’s because of the thoughts I was having or the fact that I saw him leaving with someone else.

When I pull back the curtain, Thomas has his hand in his hair as he paces the small ledge of the roof. I instantly panic and pull open the window, grabbing his arm, causing him to startle.

“Woah, you gave me a heart attack,” he whispers. “What if I’d fallen?” He peers over the edge and shudders.

“Why do you think I grabbed you? Who paces on a roof? What happened?”

“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’m fine. Can I come in?”

Without a word, I hold the curtain open and wait for him to enter, and when he steps through, his broad shoulders brushagainst me, sending a shiver down my spine. He pauses and I hold my breath, hoping he hasn’t noticed my reaction to him, but after the longest second, he moves into the room without comment.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” he whispers, his eyes bouncing around the room, focusing on anything but me, reminiscent of the first time he was here. My brow furrows until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and gasp.

“Oh God, I’m sorry. No one should have to see me with bed hair.” I rush to the vanity and brush out the mess before pulling it into a ponytail high on my head.

My satin top lifts to reveal my stomach but I ignore it, focusing on fixing my hair. When I’m done, I look in the mirror and find Thomas’s gaze on my exposed skin, his intense stare eliciting another shiver as I swallow a lump in my throat.

“I didn’t even notice your hair,” he says as he looks away. “You’re always beautiful, no matter what.”

He thinks I’m beautiful.

“Have you been drinking?” I ask, unable to hide my nervous giggle. I know he wasn’t drinking at the bar, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had anything since he left.

“No.” He flashes me a bemused smile. “You think I have to be drunk to call you beautiful?”

“No, I don’t know. Maybe. You’ve just never said it before.” I grimace.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you didn’t know. I’m sure that guy told you. Heshouldhave told you.”

He did, many times, but it hits differently coming from Thomas’s mouth. There’s a strange energy in the air, and I can’t figure out if I’m imagining it or if it’s real.

“Thank you,” I say with a smile. “I’m sorry I questioned it.”

“So you should be.” His cocky grin finally appears and I relax. There’s the Thomas I know and love.Love. Jesus. Unfortunately for me, I think that’s the truth.

“Did you have fun at the party?” I ask as I walk past him to sit on the bed.

He doesn’t move, but instead stays standing in the same position, like he’s ready to make a run for it at any given moment.

“I did. It was a good night. Can’t believe I’ll be seeing Luke on a daily basis again.”

“Unlucky,” I joke but Thomas only huffs out a laugh in return. “Is everything okay?” I ask. “You mentioned having some stuff going on with your sister.”

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