Page 63 of Shattered

I could tell it left him feeling shitty. Maybe that’s why he was distant today.

The thought of his parents not wanting to spend time with either of them baffles me, and it makes my heart hurt.

“That’s sweet of you.” The corners of his mouth tip up, but something in his eyes still has me second-guessing coming here. Moving to the side, he gestures for me to enter. “Come in.”

“Thanks,” I murmur as I pass him.

“I’m just going to go put a shirt on. Make yourself at home.” Neilix gestures to the couch, his eyes lingering on me for a moment before he turns and walks down the hall.

Glancing around the room, I figure I might as well get the movie ready, and a grin hits my lips when I pull a kid’s movie out of the DVD player. Adi has had my heart from the beginning. I didn’t even know who he belonged to on that first day when we met and were instant friends. Once I found out, Neilix was all I could see whenever I looked at him.

Neilix returns a moment later, no longer bare-chested, wearing a simple T-shirt. I can’t tell if I’m disappointed because I don’t get to sneak peeks at his delectable body or grateful because it’s no longer a distraction.

I lift the bag. “We just need a couple of glasses and a bowl for the chips.”

Neilix dips his chin in acknowledgement and leaves the room again.

When he returns with the items and sees what’s in the bag, a crease forms along his brow. “All my favorites?”

I try to shrug it off and play it cool with a smile. “Like I said, I wanted to cheer you up.”

His eyes rove over the items again, and then my face, an array of thoughts flashing across his expression. “You could have done that without bringing anything over.”

My stomach drops, along with the smile on my face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have turned up like this. You’re probably tired. I can go.” I rise from the couch, feeling foolish for assuming he’d want my company.

“What? No.” Neilix wraps one of his big hands around my arm and halts my escape. “I meant you didn’t have to bring anything. Just seeing you would have cheered me up.”

I turn my body to face him and feel his roughened hand slide down my arm, and his fingers grazing mine sends my pulse skyrocketing.

“Really?” He only nods in response. “Are we okay? I mean, today it just seemed like . . .”

My words trail off as he looks to the ground and sighs, as if he was expecting a question like this.

“We’ve been texting a lot.” My breathing slows, almost coming to a halt as I wait for him to tell me that whatever this is, is over. “And I like hearing from you . . . probably too much. I just don’t want to become too reliant on talking to you if you’re just going to leave again.”

The air is squeezed from my lungs, and I choke out his name. “Neilix.” I don’t know how he manages to make me want him more by mixing something sweet and depressing in the same sentence. Closing the gap between us, I hug him tight, breathing in more of his scent. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Pulling back, he looks down at me. Studying me, perhaps trying to read the truth in my expression. “You can’t promise that.”

A beat passes with my eyes flicking back and forth between his. “Maybe I can’t, but I don’t plan on going anywhere. As I’ve said before, we’re not those same teenagers anymore.”

Holding my gaze, he nods, and then his eyes fall to my lips, causing me to instinctively lick them. I swear, I see his eyes zero right in on the movement, and for a moment, it looks as if he might kiss me. The pulse in my neck turns frantic as I wait. Instead, he clears his throat and releases me, turning to the snacks I brought to start dishing out.

It’s okay. I get that he’s scared, but he’ll see for himself that I’m going to stick around.

I settle onto the couch and watch as he pours us a glass of Root Beer, then tips the chips into the bowl.

“Did you FaceTime with Adi tonight?”

He joins me on the couch, and I see the side of his mouth tip up. I love the brightness that shines in his eyes whenever the subject of his son comes up. It happened when we were at my parents’ place the other night, any time my mom asked something about him. You can clearly see how much he loves him, and it warms my heart.

“I did when I got home earlier.”

“He’s such a sweet boy. You should be proud, Neilix.”

“Thanks,” he replies quietly.

“I mean it. You’ve done so incredibly well on your own, and I wish your parents could see that.”

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