Page 123 of The Dollhouse

“I’m surprised this place isn’t more expensive,” I spoke as I read the menu, flicking my eyes to Zoey, who sat across from me. Our ankles were entangled beneath the table. We’d chosen a booth on the far side of the tiny restaurant. “Considering where we are.”

“It’s the cheapest place in town. My parents hated it, but I’d always stop here on Tuesdays after school let out,” Zoey said. “I’d bring my friends.” She shook her head, and I’d bet she was thinking about those people, the ones she was no longer friends with. “It’s amazing how fast things change.”

The waitress came around and took our orders, along with getting us drinks. Once she was gone, I said, “Yeah, but that’s life. As someone once said, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming.”

Zoey’s lips curled into a smile, her nose wrinkling in mirth. “That’s a song, isn’t it?”

“No, no, of course not. I’m pretty sure a president said that.” Okay, even I couldn’t keep a straight face while saying that, and I busted out laughing. “Someday I’m going to show you where I grew up. It’s not at all like this place.” I reached for my glass, finding the straw and taking a sip.

“I’d love that,” she said, leaning her head on her hand. “See all your old haunts. Maybe meet some of your old friends.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about that? Nowthat’scrossing a line.” My deadpanned response made her laugh, and I swore, I would never get tired of the sound. Music to my ears, to my very soul. “I don’t really talk to anyone from high school anymore. We all kind of went our separate ways. We tried, for a while, right after graduation, but once we went off to separate colleges, we just…” I shrugged.

“I hear time tends to do that, even when you don’t have an official falling out with them,” she whispered.

I nodded. “But that’s okay, because you’re my best friend now.” The look she gave me after I said that made me furrow my eyebrows and say, “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Not at all. I just… I love that.” To say her expression was adoring would be an understatement. “I’m your best friend. You’re mine, too.” She reached a hand across the table toward me, and I took it, my fingers weaving with hers. If we weren’t in public, I would’ve pulled her close and showed her just how much I cared about her, but in public we were, so I didn’t.

Unlike her, I wasn’t a show-off.

Not that being a show-off was a bad thing, but I’d leave that bit to her.

I mean, seriously, there was nothing better than being in love with your best friend. It meant you could share everything together, do anything together, face the world and all it could throw at you while standing side by side and hand in hand, knowing you’d never be alone.

We got our food shortly after that; the benefit of coming to a restaurant at an odd time was that there were hardly any other people around. Most people tended to eat lunch around lunchtime, go figure.

Zoey munched on some fries. “How late will you stay tonight? I know it’s a drive, and you want to get back at a decent hour so you can get ready for tomorrow.” Trying to gauge how much more time she had with me, something I avoided doing all day.

Why? Oh, because no matter how late I stayed tonight, it still wouldn’t be enough time with her. The moment I left, I’d want to turn the car around and go back to her. I was stupid for thinking visiting her would make being at home without her hurt less; it would only make it worse, reinforcing what I was missing by not dropping everything to come with her to Hillcrest.

How I wished I could. It was hard to have a life away from her, one without her daily presence.

“I’m not sure yet,” I told her. “But I plan on staying as long as possible. If that means I have to load up on caffeine tomorrow to stay awake, so be it.” My lips curled into a grin; meanwhile, my heart already beat like I’d left her, a low ache rising up in my gut.

I didn’t want to think about leaving. Not yet.

We took our time in eating, neither one of us wanting this moment to end. The sooner we left the diner, the sooner we got back to the house, and the sooner I’d have to go. It was inevitable, and we both knew that, and yet we both fought against it. It sucked. I hoped her vendetta against her family wouldn’t take too much longer. I missed her back home something fierce.

Zoey must’ve known what would make me feel better, at least for right now, for after we finished up our meal, we headed back to the house. We didn’t say anything to Roman or Carter, heading straight up to her bedroom, where she kicked the door closed with her foot and instructed me to sit on the bed. I did so, because at this point, I’d do anything the girl asked me to. Anything.

I really did love her so much. I never knew a girl could make me this crazy, but here we were. Even with how unusual it was that she had other relationships, other boyfriends—and mean and dangerous ones, to boot—I wouldn’t change a thing. I loved her too freaking much.

“Since you won’t be here for the show,” Zoey whispered, her voice taking on a sultry, hypnotic tone that instantly had me frozen in place. It was a darn good thing she’d told me to sit before taking on that tone. I hated to be so crass, but she had me by the balls.

Not literally, but, you know, figuratively.

Zoey had changed out of her pajamas before we’d gone out on the town, into tight jeans and a black shirt that hugged every smooth curve on her body. Her pink hair was wild, messy, just like her soul. The way her blue eyes sparkled, a mischievous glint to them, made my lower gut twist into a dozen knots. One look from her and I was a goner. Every single time.

Her fingers went to her hips, and she slipped off her signature pink sneakers one after the other, kicking them aside. They matched her hair color almost perfectly, but my eyes were glued to her, to every deliberate, seductive movement she made. The corners of her lips quirked upward, not quite smiling, but definitely smirking, and she worked to undo the button and zipper on her pants.

My breath caught in the back of my throat. I knew just what she intended to do, and my cheeks flamed in spite of myself. It wasn’t like this was the first time I’d seen her sway her hips and put on a show, but it was different when Carter and Roman weren’t around, when they weren’t in the same room, watching her at the same time. It was more intimate, and I couldn’t even feel bad for the way something started to grow hard between my legs.

It was darn near impossible to watch her take off her clothes and not get hard, okay? Like, one of the most impossible things ever. She was beautiful, gorgeous, with a confidence that drew me in. Plus, I loved her more than life itself, so there was that, too. Love tended to enhance whatever it was you felt tenfold, in my experience.

Her jeans fell off her hips as she pulled the dark blue fabric down her legs. Moments later, Zoey stood before me in her shirt and her lacey pink underwear. I swallowed, rubbing my palms on my knees as I watched her fingers go to the hem on her shirt and lift it up and over her head, exposing a bra that must be a matching set to the panties she wore.

Wearing nothing but her underthings, she was a freaking goddess. My jaw practically fell open, and it was like I was a lovestruck boy with a huge crush all over again, with feelings inside me I didn’t know what to do with. Zoey was more than beautiful. She rewrote the very definition of the word.

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