Page 73 of Only With You

Snowy white and electric sapphire swirl in my head.

My mouth dries and my heartbeat dramatically slows, so much so, I can physically feel each beat purposely knock against my rib cage.

“Yeah.” I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

Julianna stands a few feet away from me, face clear of makeup, but her lips are stained a strawberry colour. Her long hair is still down in soft waves.

But that’s not the reason why I’m struggling to remain indifferent.

It’s the cream, long-sleeved, body-hugging pyjamas she’s wearing. They’re covered in mini hearts and cherries with bows for stems, and they’re short, and the neckline—fuck me—it’s low. I get an insane view of her breasts.

This must be some kind of test, because how the hell am I not supposed to look? Her tits are practically pouring out.

I look away, casting my gaze to my keys, wallet, and phone on the coffee table. It won’t take much for me to swipe them and leave, but for some reason, I can’t move.

“I’m making hot chocolate. Do you want some?” She moseys over to the kitchen, and I swear it takes every inch of my willpower not to look at her arse. “I also have other drinks that are nonalcoholic. I know you said you don’t drink, so I’ve got options for you. Juices, teas, milk, coffee, and water.”

She was drunk when I told her I don’t drink. I wasn’t holding it against her to remember, but she did. It’s the bare minimum, but I appreciate her not making a joke or trying to persuade me to drink.

I don’t fall under the pressure, but it’s annoying when people think I’m going to change my mind. They try to make alcohol sound like it’s the best thing in the world.

My mother died from alcohol poisoning, so I don’t see how it would be.

“You remembered I don’t drink?”

She stops rummaging through the cabinets to look at me. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

“You’d been drinking that night. I didn’t expect you to remember.”

She leans over the counter, bracing her elbows on it. “Just because I’d been drinking doesn’t mean I hadn’t been paying attention. I know you didn’t like that I made that assumption about you and I’m sorry. It’s kind of easy to get lost in the idea that everyone in college drinks, but I shouldn’t have assumed regardless. I’m sorry.”

I nod to fill the silence, because she’s not the only one who’s made assumptions. We’re both guilty of it, but still, I beat her on being an immense dick.

Which reminds me.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

She stands up straight, brows rising, no doubt surprised I brought it up. For a moment, she stares at me, but the impact of my words only lasts a second before she plasters a smile on her face.

“It’s fine. You said what you said. I said what I said. It’s nothing new, right? We’re used to it.” She resumes searching for what she needs.

I refrain from rolling my eyes, because she has a tendency of acting as if everything is fine. We may not have great history, but I’ve picked up on a few things about her over the past few years and even more so these past few weeks.

Stepping in the kitchen, I watch her set all of the stuff she’s going to use to make hot chocolate.

“It’s not fine. It obviously bothered you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t plaster that fake smile on your face and pretend it’s all good. When it’s not. What I said was really shitty, and you have the right to be mad at me.”

She flinches, but angles her chin upward, staring at me like I’ve got it all wrong, but I can see the strain in her eyes. Her taut shoulders and white knuckles also give her away.

“I don’t want to do this. We said we wouldn’t argue.”

“We’re not arguing. We’re talking.”

“I know, but I know where this conversation is heading. We’ll end up arguing and then I’ll have to explain to Gabby and Polly why you’re dead on the kitchen floor.” She deeply breathes.

“There’s going to be no murder or arguing tonight. I made a deal with you. Remember?”

She props her hip against the counter, folding her arms against her chest.

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