Page 54 of Keep Me

I suck in a breath at the sight of her. She’s wearing a tight white T-shirt and light-colored ripped jeans that I would love to take off despite how good they look on her. Her hair is up in a sleek ponytail, and I have to curb the urge to close the space between us and yank on it as I devour her mouth with mine.

Cameron stands and scoops Aurora up into a hug, whispering into her ear as they sway.

“Babe!” Jasmine jumps up and into Elio’s arms. “We brought Marcela home with us. She needs some girl time.”

Are couples in love always this nauseating? Jesus Christ.

At the mention of Marcela, I swing my head to Theo, who has his eyes locked on her, his face filled with concern. It’s no secret he has a thing for her, despite her having a boyfriend.

Theo charges toward her. “Who hurt you?”

Marcela shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to have fun.”

“Yes, more drinking, less talking!” Jasmine links her arm through Marcela’s as she drags her to the minibar.

I avert my eyes back to Camille, who’s making small talk with Cameron, Aurora, and Elio, while Theo just stares longingly at Marcela. Should I go over there and just talk to her?

I sound like a fucking teenage boy.

Camille makes the decision for me when she walks over to where I’m sitting and plops down beside me.

She smiles, disarming me. “Hi.”

I smile back at her, unable to control it when I’ve been missing her and she’s this goddamn stunning. “Hi.”

“A smile? Wow, what did I do to earn such a thing?” she teases, getting comfortable on the couch.

“Existing.”

Camille’s pink lips part at my confession, then close as her eyes flit all around my face until they finally land on my lips.

Fuck it.

I lean in and give her a sweet, yet chaste kiss. To my luck, no one says anything, all too absorbed in their partners or the conversation going on around them.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“For what?”

“Kissing me.”

“You never have to thank me for that. I should be thanking you, baby. Anytime I get to touch you is a privilege.”

“Is that what friends with benefits say to each other?” Her words are like a bucket of cold water, dousing the intimate moment. It’s a reminder that my brain and heart are two different organs, and I need to stop speaking without fucking thinking first.

“They are when their friend is as beautiful as you are,” I say, doing my best to back myself up.

Camille either thinks I’m full of shit or doesn’t care, because she just smiles and turns to face our friends, who are now all lounging on the couch with various drinks in their hands. Save for Cameron and Aurora, who don’t drink.

We play some drinking games, and it’s surprisingly a lot of fun. Marcela is a bit quiet as she observes and sips on her drink, while Theo can’t seem to take his eyes off her. He doesn’t pry, though, merely keeping watch to make sure she’s okay.

Within an hour, Jasmine and Camille are drunk, so Elio calls it for the night. “All right, I need to get her to bed,” he says, standing with Jasmine, who’s locked around his body like a koala bear.

“Mmmm, yes, take me to bed.” She drunk giggles.

“I mean to sleep, dolcezza.”

She pouts at him, then cranes her neck at us. “He’s no fun, but I hope you all had fun. Marcela, are you staying the night? Aurora and Cameron are. You’re more than welcome.”

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