Page 172 of Dare To Live

“Why do you think you got the text?”

Chapter 97

Arabella

“Miles only kissed me because I saw Tina watching us from across the street. We were pretending to be a couple.” I tighten my grip on the hand he is holding. “Then I saw you, and you looked so angry.”

“I was jealous as fuck.” Eli growls in a rough undertone. “I wanted to punish you for letting another boy touch you.”

“You didn’t even like me.”

He brings my hand up to kiss my knuckles. “I might not have recognized it straight away, but you were already mine, Ari.”

My heart stops for a split second and then takes off in a rapid rhythm. “I was so blind. I should have connected the dots. Realized you were Sin.”

“I was waiting for you to figure it out,” His grin is wry. “Every time we met, I had to be careful because I was worried I would slip up and you would guess who I was.”

“I thought it was one of the jocks for a while. Then eventually, I gave up trying to figure it out. Sin was there when I needed him. He stopped the loneliness when I had no one else. I had his dares and his strength. He…you gave me hope in the dark.”

“It was so messed up.” He gently squeezes my fingers. “Looking back, I’m surprised you ever forgave me for what I put you through.”

“You saved me. In my darkest moment, you found me in the chapel and brought me back to life. I’m not sure what would have happened if you hadn’t come.”

“And then I hurt you all over again.”

“We were young, and we both thought we were doing the right thing. Looking back, I realize how naive I was. All I wanted was to be seen.”

“I know.” His voice is low and rough. “I saw you, Ari. I couldn’t look away. Whenever you were around me, my attention always gravitated your way. There was no one else, just you.”

I drag my attention from his face to our joined hands. “I felt you.”

“Felt me?”

“Whenever you were in a room with me. I could sense your eyes on me.” My gaze rises to lock with his. “I was always hyper-aware of where you were.”

I still am.

His eyes hold mine, and the air between us grows thick. All the fear and doubt in my head turn silent, and the noise around us in the restaurant dims. My lips part, the words I want to speak on the tip of my tongue.

Eli leans forward and kisses me. “Let’s get out of here.”

The moment is broken, and my courage fails me. “Okay.”

***

I clutch the bouquet of pink roses in my arms. Eli said nothing when I had insisted on buying them. Something to leave on Zoey’s grave. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to buy her favorite lilies. The white flowers are too much of a trigger for me. I’m not sure that will ever change.

Eli leads the way through the small cemetery, somberness drenching the silence around us. Dying flowers adorn a few of the graves we pass. Others have weathered wreaths and notes. He guides me to a gravestone that looks more well-kept than most.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.” His voice is hushed. “Not since Kell was with me.”

I lace his fingers with mine and squeeze them. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“I know you never met Zoey, but she meant a lot to me and Kellan.”

“After reading her diary, I think I would have liked her.”

Eli smiles faintly. “I think she would have liked you, too.”

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