Page 54 of How We Fooled

Instantly, I melt in his arms, feeling like I can finally breathe for the first time since he arrived here last night and my world got turned upside down.

He never breaks his lips from mine as he swoops down to pick me up and carry me back to my bedroom. There’s no part of me that wants to stop him, so I let him do as he pleases, needing him more than food, water, or air right now.

He lays me down on the bed and is quick to remove his sweatshirt that I wore to bed last night, revealing I don’t have a bra on. Reaching back behind his head, he removes his shirt and is back to kissing me with his bare skin pressed against mine.

Needing more of him, I slide his shorts down his legs, taking his boxer briefs with them. He removes them completely just before doing the same with my panties. He kisses up my leg, to my stomach, to my breasts, to my neck. I feel him at my entrance, so I wrap my legs around him, encouraging him to go further.

Propping himself up on his hands, he looks me in the eyes. “I mean it, Liza. I love you with all my heart.”

I place my hands on either side of his face. “I love you too.”

He leans down to kiss me as he slides inside of me, sealing our fate with a kiss and so much more.

With every stroke, my heart breaks more. With every push, my love for him grows. I have no idea what will happen next, but I know I don’t want him to stop.

Not now, not ever.

I know he feels the same way by the way he’s taking his time, going so slow, making this feel like a long goodbye. Neither one of us wants this to end, so we keep our pace like this, kissing, holding, grasping on to each other like it will be our last time together.

Who knows? Maybe it will be.

For right now, all I know is, I feel like I’ve been reborn, and my life will forever be what happened before Eli and what happened after I realized just how much I truly loved this man.

He might be considered still a boy in some people’s eyes, but he’s all the man I’ll ever need in this world.

His pace starts to build, and my body reacts like he’s the puppeteer and I’m fully at his command. As he moves faster, jolts of pleasure rip through me. I’m literally doing nothing, one hundred percent at his mercy, yet I’ve never felt so alive.

I have zero control, but knowing he’s got complete power over me, over us, is the most freeing feeling. This is what love is—giving yourself to someone and knowing you have nothing to worry about.

With two more pulses, I feel my body ignite in waves of intense pleasure as he finds his own release, sealing our love for eternity.

We kiss until I feel him slip out of me, and he slides to his back, wrapping his arm around me and bringing me to his chest. Both of our breaths are ragged, but we don’t care. For now, all we want to do is hold each other for as long as we can.

Tears prick at my eyes at the thought of knowing what I have to say, but no part of me wants to actually say it.

I finally bring up the courage to whisper, “Eli …”

“I know,” he responds, gripping me tighter. “I know. Just don’t say it, okay?”

Tears flow from my eyes as I hear him sniff away his own. This was it. This was our goodbye. Even though neither of us wants to, we know this is what has to be done.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Liza

Saying goodbye to Eli was the hardest thing I’d ever done. He had another plane to catch, so nothing like the threat of missing a flight to force you to say goodbye faster than you would have wanted to.

I’m an absolute glutton for punishment because I couldn’t help myself from watching every one of his games. It hurt so much to watch him appear on-screen, but what completely gutted me was that I could tell just how affected he was too.

The way he’d walk up to the plate to hit wasn’t with his same swagger, and I could tell he wasn’t as focused on the game as he had been in the previous games. After watching him make some stupid errors, I broke out in tears when I heard the coach yelling at him.

I couldn’t hide my sadness from my aunt so I broke down and told her everything last night. Though I hated hearing we were right to break it off, she agreed it was really for the best.

Now, it’s Monday morning, and I should be excited about my first day at work, but I can’t help but think how this job ruined my life.

I know I need to change my train of thought, and I will. I just need to sit in my pity party for a few more days.

All the teachers are back this week to prepare for the upcoming school year, which officially starts next week. I’ll think about what will happen then, but for today, I’m just focusing on my job and my lesson plans.

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