Page 32 of Quiet Longing

Her shoulders slumped. “Nothing much. Just that the colour of my dress washes me out. I know it doesn’t. They just hate that they can’t ostracise me completely because Derek and Tristan wouldn’t allow it. There’s an extra sting in it for Kiera because she wants Tristan so badly, and he barely notices her.”

“Well, that is rather satisfying. I hope he goes on ignoring her.”

“Oh, he will. She’s not his type at all.”

“Good to know,” I said.

We’d just reached the bottom of the stairs when Nuala grabbed my arm. I glanced back at her. “Would it be awful if we just went home?”

“Are you sure? We haven’t been here very long. Don’t let Kiera scare you away.”

“I just don’t want any more drama if we bump into her again.” Her sweet brown eyes were pleading, and I instantly gave in.

“Okay, let’s go, then.”

“I’ll text Derek to let him know we’re leaving,” she said, looking relieved as she pulled out her phone.

“Tell him to let Rhys know, too,” I said, feeling bad about not going back to him and wondering if he’d end up talking to someone else. What if he had a few more beers and ended up kissing one of those hot girls he’d claimed scared him so much? Jealousy reared its head. Nuala nodded, adding it to the text, unaware of my jealous worries.

It was only a short walk back to the house. Aunt Jo seemed relieved we’d decided to call it a night. The two of us changed out of our party clothes and cuddled up in Nuala’s room to watch a romantic comedy. It wasn’t too late when I finally crawled into my own bed. I drifted off to sleep, only to be woken about an hour later by frantic knocking on my door. I wore a T-shirt and panties, no bra, but I didn’t consider my state of undress because the knocking sounded so urgent.

When I opened the door, I found Tristan and Rhys standing outside looking like a pair of fugitives.

“What’s going on?” I asked, sleepy and confused.

I was vaguely aware of Rhys’ heated gaze swallowing up every inch of me, from my bare feet to my sleep swollen lips, while Tristan said, “We played a prank that went wrong, and Derek is going to murder us. Please let us hide in your room, Charli. It’s the only place he won’t try to look.”

Not fully thinking it through, I stepped aside and motioned them in.

8.

Rhys

The room smelled like her.

When Charli had leaned into me earlier tonight, confessing that she thought I smelled good, it was mostly surprising because she smelled really good to me, too. A subtle mix of honey, almonds, and coconut. I couldn’t tell if it was her shampoo or some kind of perfume, but the scent was etched in my brain.

When Tristan suggested we hide out here, I’d tried to argue, but it was useless because he was right. Charli’s room was probably the one place Derek wouldn’t think to look for us. He certainly wasn’t going to barge in. He had too much respect for female privacy. I saw it in the way he behaved around his sister, always keeping an eye out for danger while at the same time giving her space to be herself.

I should’ve said no as soon as Tristan approached me with his prank idea, but Charli had left the party early with Nuala, and I was bored and aimless without her. So, reluctantly, I agreed. That was my first mistake. Tristan got it into his head that playing a prank on the birthday boy would be the perfect way to top off the special day. The problem was, Tristan wasn’t very good at pranks. He didn’t fully think through all the possible ways they might go wrong.

Now, I was an accomplice to his foolishness.

“Well,” Charli said, her voice husky from sleep. “Tell me why you guys are hiding.”

I felt bad about waking her, but I was also a bit mesmerised by her messy hair and puffy lips. The oversized, loose T-shirt she wore skimmed her thighs and hinted that she wasn’t wearing abra. The way her eyes remained at half-mast, not fully alert yet. It was what she’d look like in the morning in a dream world where we’d spent the night together.

I knew it was never going to happen, but I could at least enjoy the fantasy.

Earlier, at the party, she’d been playful and surprisingly flirty. It had taken me completely off guard. I’d mistakenly thought she’d been toying with me, making me believe she was interested only so she could later reject me. It was a stupid thought, born of insecurity. Charli didn’t possess that sort of cruelty. At least, she didn’t seem like she did.

When she revealed she liked me and genuinely enjoyed my company, I was both relieved and disappointed. Relieved because she wasn’t playing a game and disappointed because I knew “liking me” was all there was to it. She was comfortable around me. I wassafe. The sort of bloke she could chat with, have some amusing banter, but I wasn’t the one she’d choose romantically.

No, that would be some other lucky bastard.

I’d never felt as comfortable with a girl as I did around her. She’d somehow managed to penetrate the ache inside me. It was an ache I’d barely even known was there before I met her. I wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but it felt a lot like longing. Longing for connection, for someone to understand me, to know and accept all the things I normally kept hidden. I wanted to show her all of me, the good, the bad, and the ugly, because some voice at the back of my head said she’d accept me even if she knew it all.

It would be dangerous to trust that voice, though, because there was a large chance her feelings were platonic. A friendship was all she intended, one that would likely end when she went home in two months’ time.

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