Page 81 of Sixty Days Of Summer

“I’m tired, Ace,” she replies, and I can hear the exhaustion in it—like she’s just done with all of this, done with me. She’s sick of the small talk, and honestly, so am I.

But I can’t let it end here. Not like this.

I step closer, closing the distance between us. My heart’s pounding like a fucking drum, but I push on. “I get it,” I say quietly. “You’re tired of this, tired of me not having my shit together. But I need you to hear me out because I don’t know how to do this, how to be what you need… but I’m trying, Scarlet. I’m fucking trying because I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”

Theo’s voice fades into the background, and I’m vaguely aware that he, Xander, and Poppy are all watching. But in this moment, none of that matters. Scarlet’s the only thing I can focus on.

She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine, and I take a deep breath, letting it all out. “I’m just gonna say it.” I pause.Just lay it out, asshole, before you lose the best thing that’s everwalked into your life.“You’re the one thing in my world that makes sense when everything else is so fucked up. I don’t know how to do this right, but I want to. I want to figure it out—with you.”

She stares at me, and I can’t tell if she's about to laugh, cry, walk away, or a combination of the three. So I do the only thing I can think of. I reach into my pocket and pull out the small, worn piece of paper I’ve been carrying around since she said she loved me. It’s nothing fancy—just a scrap I tore from one of my notebooks.

I stare down at the words I’ve scrawled on the paper, my heart racing as my eyes run quickly over each line.

Scar,

I’m a fucking mess, and I know I’ve hurt you. I see it in your eyes, see it in your smile, the way you’ve started to pull away. But here’s the thing: when I’m with you, I feel something real—something I can’t shake. It’s like you’ve pulled me out of a dark pit I’ve been stuck in, and I don’t want to go back.

You make me want to face my own bullshit, to be better, to fight for something that matters. You’ve shown me what it means to give a damn about someone else, and that scares the fuck out of me. I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you, for all the times I pushed you away when all I wanted was to pull you closer.

I can’t pretend anymore. I love you, Scar. I really do. It’s terrifying to say it out loud, because everyone I’ve ever loved has walked away. And I know you deserve better. Better than who I am.

I glance back up at her. “I wrote this,” I say, my voice a little shaky. “It’s all the shit I can’t say out loud because I’m too fucked up to get it right. But it’s real, Scarlet. Every single word.”

I hold it out to her, and she hesitates, eyes flickering between me and the note. When she finally reaches for it, her fingers brush against mine, sending a jolt through me. For that fleeting moment, everything feels like it could be okay, like maybe we could find our way through this together.

She turns the paper, her eyes skimming over the words I poured my heart into, and I hold my breath, hoping like hell this is enough. That I’m enough. I need her to see just how much she means to me, even if I’m a total fucking mess when it comes to expressing it.

Then she glances up, and I catch the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “You love me?” she asks, her voice barely a whisper, like she can’t quite wrap her head around it.

I nod. “Yeah, Scar. I do.”

She takes a shaky breath, my words clearly hitting her hard. “I—”

I cut her off, stepping closer and pulling her into a fierce, unyielding kiss. My hands slide to her back, holding her as tight as I can. It’s a kiss filled with desperation and devotion, a promise of all the things I can’t put into words. When our lips finally part, I keep my forehead pressed against hers, my gaze locked onto hers with a fierce intensity.

“You’re mine, Scar,” I say, my voice low and full of heat. “You’re all I fucking want.”

When she smiles that genuine smile, it’s like a beacon of light that shines on her face, and I feel a swell of pride, knowing that I am the source of her joy. Suddenly, we both realize we’re not alone and turn to face the couch. Xander’s sporting a shit-eating grin, like he just witnessed the greatest show on earth. Poppy has her hand pressed to her heart, her eyes glisteningwith emotion, as if she’s about to burst into tears over some grand romantic gesture. Theo’s watching us with a thoughtful look, holding up his phone. At some point during all of this, he switched the call to video, and now Nate’s image is on the screen, his eyes glued to us.

I should feel embarrassed by our uninvited audience, but honestly, I couldn’t give less of a fuck. All that matters is the way Scarlet’s looking at me and how right this moment feels.

"You better fucking mean it, bro," Nate says through the phone.

I look over at Scarlet, my gaze steady and full of resolve. I take her hand in mine, feeling the warmth of her skin against my own. “Yeah, I fucking mean it,” I say, my voice rough with raw honesty. “I’d tear down the whole fucking world just to make you smile. You’re everything to me, Scar.”

If we didn’t have an audience right now and we were alone in a hotel room, I’d show her just how much I love her, reveal every filthy thought running through my mind. I’d have her sprawled out on the bed, fucking her, licking her, making her come on my cock just to seal this promise. But for now, instead, I take a deep breath, feeling a wave of relief wash over me, feeling lighter than I’ve felt in a long time—like the weight of the world has finally lifted because I’ve claimed her as mine.

Since I finally pulled my head out of my ass and told Scar how I feel, things have only gotten better. It’s been a week now, and she’s been in my hotel room every night since. I feel lighter, like I can actually breathe, and there’s a real connection building between us. Every conversation peels back another layer, andI’m sharing parts of my past that I never thought I’d tell anyone. The mind-blowing sex. That’s just the icing on top. The way she comes, the sounds she makes—they’ve got me completely hooked. Tonight, after another killer show, I can’t wait to take her back to my room and ride that high all over again.

As Scarlet stands beside me in the elevator, it takes every ounce of willpower not to reach out and grab her ass, but with Xander, Theo, and Neil squeezed in here too, I resist the urge. I keep reminding myself that in just a few minutes, I’ll have her sprawled out on my bed, exactly how I want her.

Strangely enough, the usual groupie scene on this tour has been almost non-existent. Now that I’m officially off the market, it’s like the chaos just faded. I can tell Theo’s missing his fuck buddy; he still turns on the charm whenever there’s a girl around, but I’m not even sure he’s hooked up once this entire tour. The whole vibe’s different now—quieter, more toned down.

Things are moving fast with Scarlet, and despite my earlier doubts about where we’re headed, it’s not freaking me out the way I thought it would. Last night, I almost said those three little words, wanting her to hear them straight from me instead of reading them on a piece of paper. They were right there, sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t make myself say them. I can’t figure out why it feels so terrifying. I know she’d never laugh or make me feel small, but letting down that guard—it feels like the hardest thing in the world. How fucked up is that?

Two nights ago, I had a video call with my sister that lasted until the early hours of the morning. It was a bit disappointing that Scarlet had dozed off in the bed next to me, as I didn’t get to indulge in my favorite thing—her. But on the bright side, I finally got to meet my three nieces. Seeing them together brings back memories of Daisy in her youth.

Daisy and I finally discussed setting the record straight about all the lies our mother has been spreading. Even thoughher story isn’t making headlines like it did a few weeks back, the term “abuser” keeps popping up—especially on social media. Kit’s been deleting endless comments just to keep the negativity at bay.

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