Page 163 of Collided

She stares at me with a grave expression that shuts me up. “Emery’s death broke some part of you. It hurts you deeply, but you refuse to admit it.”

“That’s fucking bullshit,” I grit out.

“Or maybe I can see right through you.”

I roll my eyes. “Since when did you get annoying?”

A smile kisses her lips. “Since we became friends.”

“You’re good at this friendship thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” I say in a heartbeat.

Hope blushes and my heart rapidly beats inside my chest. I’m starting to notice it does that a lot in her presence.

She clears her throat. “We should go down. Marie got a cake for you.”

“I should just stay here.”

“It has chocolate,” she chirps excitedly.

“Ihatechocolate.”

“Maybe you’ll like it.”

“Very fucking unlikely.”

“It’s sweet.”

“I hate sweet things.”

“You haven’t found therightsweet thing.”

I glare. “You’re fucking impossible.”

She grins.

Lifting my head from her shoulder, I stretch to loosen my tight muscles. In doing so, I notice Hope’s attention on me, and it makes me smirk. “See something you like?”

“I…” she falters.

Those fucking red cheeks make me chuckle.

“You’re fucking adorable,” I say without thinking.

We both stare at each other in surprise, but I won’t fucking take it back.

I meant what I said.

Together we enter the living room where Marie and Sebastian are bickering over something. When they see us, they grin like hyenas.

“Finally! You guys are here,” Marie says.

Sebastian gets up and comes my way. He looks as bad as me which makes me smile a little. He returns it.

Marie brings in my cake with a beaming smile. She reminds me of Emery in that regard, and I realize why I care about her. In some ways, she’s like a younger sister to me.

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