Page 231 of Collided

“I like you the most.”

I shake my head. “Not enough.”

My heart burns as if it’s on fire. Hot, scorching flames rise in heat, all because I’m fucking jealous that she likes other men more than me. Seriously, whoever invented this jealousy-feeling should be sentenced. It’s a fucking awful feeling.

Hope cups my face in her hands and presses a soft kiss on my lips. “They are fictional, you’re real.”

My anger and irritation go away. Fuck them. They don’t have her like I do. She’s mine.

“I bet they can’t do this.” Turning her face to the left, I bend down to her neck and press hot, wet kisses that make her breath hitch. There’s a spot, just below her jaw that makes her shiver, and another near her collarbone that makes her dig her nails into my skin.

“Heath…” she whispers in a heavy breath.

Stealing a kiss from right under her jawline I move back. “Yes, remember my name, because only I can make you feel this way.”

She swallows, then puts on the seatbelt as I start the car.

On the drive, we don’t talk, but there’s something I have to tell her. So, when we stop at a red light, I turn to her. She’s looking out of the window.

I pick up her hand and her attention diverts toward me. “You look beautiful,” I say.

Her mouth opens. “Oh… it’s Marie. She did everything to—”

“It’syou.” I assert.

Her fingers tighten around mine. “You look great. You always do.”

“Always?”

She nods.

I smile a little and look down at my all-black outfit. There’s nothing new, except for the thin jacket I threw on because it gets cold in the evening, and while I can stand it, I know Hope can’t.

So I’m wearing the jacket for the sole purpose of lending it to her.

The car horn blares behind me and I’m forced to drive when all I want to do is stare at the girl beside me. With a sigh, I turn to the street and speed us to the fair. Like every year it’s brimmingwith life and music. Shouts and squeals carry in the air. Colorful lights are everywhere as they line the paths.

We wait in the car for Marie and Sebastian who left before us but still aren’t here.

“Are you excited?” Hope sounds nervous—she doesn’t have to be.

“No.”

“I am.”

“What are you most excited about?”

She gazes at the fair. The multicolor lights glint in her eyes.

“The Ferris wheel.” With a shy smile, she turns to me. “I’m afraid of it, but I want to see the view when I’m on the top. How everything and everyone looks small.” With a shake of her head, she adds, “But I’m scared.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Surprise flickers across her face. “You don’t have to.”

“I don’t have to, but I want to because you want to.”

She looks at me with disbelief and something else.

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