Page 64 of The Fallen Ones

“You didn’t mean it?” he asked, his forehead crinkling at my words.

I swallowed hard. “I-I, yeah. I didn’t mean it. I just got caught up in your words and these feelings. It was a mistake and shouldn’t have happened. I mean, I don’t want you. You’re Caleb. A-And I’m Lily. We’re best friends. Kissing and going further than that is just… gross, right? We’re gross together. It would be like kissing a sibling. And it was like that. It wasn’t good. It really was gross kissing you.” My guts rolled at my continued mouth vomit, mortified I was even saying the words because I sure as hell didn’t mean them. I was trying to smother a fire I’d started and was failing terribly.

He let out a scoff and backed away. “Yeah, I need to go.”

He walked toward the door. I rushed after him, desperate to make this better.

“Caleb, wait.” I grabbed his hand and tugged him to a stop. He turned to me, his face blanketed in an emotion I’d never seen on him before.

“You’re right. I am a mistake. Kissing me was… gross,” he repeated. “I’m glad we cleared that up.”

“Caleb—”

“I need to go.” He pulled away from me and opened the door and stepped out before turning back to me. “You should go to that party next weekend. Fuck someone else. Kiss someone else. You know, someone not gross. Someone who makes sense to you.” He shook his head before slamming the door closed.

I stood there feeling like the biggest piece of shit for a moment before I pulled the door open and dashed down the hallto see him already in the elevator, the door closing. He saw me coming, but he only stared and didn’t try to keep the doors from closing.

I stopped in the center of the hall and watched him disappear from view, a look of pure heartbreak on his face.

I’d really messed things up.

Chapter 24

Damien

“What the fuck is the matter with you.” I kicked Caleb’s foot as I made to walk around him to sit on the couch in my living room. He’d been moping around for the better part of the week, making me think he was depressed or some shit.

“Nothing,” he grumbled, taking the joint I handed to him and inhaling a deep drag before coughing. He handed it back to me while Jace did something on his phone, ignoring us.

“Don’t lie. You’re always Mr. Positivity and Sunshine. What’s your deal, princess?” I pressed. I hadn’t seen him around Lily all week. It was weird.

“Fuck off, Damien,” he snapped, looking at me with a sour expression.

“I will once you tell me what has your fucking panties in a twist.”

He sighed and grabbed the bottle off whiskey on the coffee table I’d brought over and took a long drink from the bottle.

“We have glasses,” I muttered, eyeing him as he wiped his mouth.

Jace put his phone down and stared at Caleb. “Caleb, what’s going on with you? Damien is right. You’re being a bit of a downer this last week.”

Caleb scoffed and drank more. I reached out and snagged the bottle away from him and placed it on the table. Caleb always had his shit together. His behavior was concerning. It was unlike the little shithead I’d gotten to know over the last few weeks. Even in our group messages he was barely talking.

“Man, start talking,” I said, tiring on the morose bullshit.

He rubbed his eyes and sat back on the couch and was silent for several long beats before he finally spoke.

“Lily kissed me.”

I shot a look to Jace who sat forward in his chair, his brows crinkled.

“What?” Jace asked.

“When?” I added, my irritation nearing the surface. Whenever I’d seen Lily and had tried to engage her in conversation this week, she’d brushed me off, not even giving into my typical teasing. Usually, she’d snap back, but this time she just sighed and walked away, leaving me with shit to do about it.

“Few days ago. I went to her place to hang out.”

“So she, what? Just went in and kissed you?” Jace demanded.

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