Page 81 of Obsessed with the Heartbreaker

Which was a confession in itself.

My heart was thudding fast, and Antony could probably feel it, but he didn’t say anything about it, only looked sightlessly away, as if deep in thought all of a sudden.

“What?”

“Do you think I need more of a life?”

The question surprised me so much I had to pause the show we’d both been ignoring and turn more fully to him. “Alife?Where is this coming from?”

“I mean I’ve just…” He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, since I’ve been sending my internship applications, and now people want to know what else you’ve got going with your life, what kind of person you are. I only really have my grades going for myself and I’m not the most charming person in the world either, which could potentially be a problem—”

“That’s ridiculous,” I said, interrupting him, because my brain couldn’t even compute it.

It was the wrong thing to do, because Antony immediately closed his mouth and looked away. “Right. Just forget I said it.”

“No. Antony—” Thankfully, he looked at me, even if I didn’t deserve it. “You already have a life. This internship thing—I think you’re probably overthinking it, but in any case, youdohave it.”

“Is spending eighty percent of my waking hours either in class or in the library alife? Because I don’t think anyone would call it that.”

“Your life doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s,” I said, feeling suddenly stubborn, because it was so damn important to me that he understood this. That he saw his own value, because the other option was just something that I couldn’t take. “You’re also not just your grades or your career. You have friends I know for a fact you love spending time with. You love your family and are the best son anyone could ever have asked for. I knowmyparents often wish I was like you. And most of all, you’re living for yourself and not anyone else. So if you like studying and being in a library, then do it. And if it’s you who wants to change just because, if you want to do different things for yourself, then you can do it at any point you like. You just have to start.”

Green eyes watched me closely, thoughtfully. It felt like he was piercing right through me with his gaze, like he could see the anguish going through me and all the feelings that I’d been resentfully carrying with me for all these years.

“When did you get so wise?”

“Blame Professor Larsson. His philosophical tirades have left a scar on me that I’ll never be able to get rid of,” I said lightly.

Then I realized I was brushing my thumb over Antony’s knuckles, and as much as I wanted to pull away, the way he seemed to be relaxing from this small comfort made it impossible for me.

“I guess I’ve technically been living more lately. All thanks to you.”

God, why did I feel this satisfaction at the thought that I managed to help him withanything?

“They call me a King for a reason. I’m generous and hand in unexpected gifts to my people.”

“Am I your people, then?”

“You aremine. For three months.”

Antony’s breathing hitched.

“Is it wrong that I secretly like it when you get territorial?” he asked quietly between us.

I hadn’t realized it, but our faces were only inches away from each other.

The only answer I could have given him was thatIloved when he got territorial over me. But I couldn’t say it, so I just kissed him.

I kissed him and I wished the world would disappear so I could just have him with me forever.

Chapter 25

Antony

Surprisingly enough, the most stressful time of my life was also turning out to be the happiest one. Between studying, worrying about internship applications, hanging out with my friends and seeing Henry, most days I got to bed completely exhausted, dropping down like a log the second I changed into my night sweats, and went on to have several hours of deep, dreamless sleep that let me do it all over again on the next day.

And the most shocking thing? I thought I was actually learning torelax. Or at least I was thinking about it.

With my applications sent, some tension had started to leave my shoulders. My anxieties could come back to me when I had an interview date set, but until then? I was going to focus all of my energy elsewhere, and Henry made it all too easy for the focus to become him.

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