Page 10 of Just Try, Again and Again

“I bet,” I sneer at her. “No wonder you were being a bitchy witch to your daughter so casually.” Both of them look at me wide-eyed, but the younger Lee has a smirk on her face. A smirk she’s trying to hide.

“Don’t meddle in business that is not yours,” Astrid says, her sugar-sweet persona from our initial meetup now completely gone.I see you for who you are. Not only are you a gold digger, you’re mean.

“Well, since we’re going to be family and all,” I reply sarcastically with jazz hands. “You’re kind of hurting my sister’s feelings,Mom. As a brother, I feel the need to protect her.”

Astrid huffs before bumping her shoulder into me and marches inside the house, leaving her daughter and me alone. After what feels like minutes of awkward silence, she finally speaks up. “Thanks for that.”

“Don’t mention it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

She laughs. I have a feeling this girl doesn’t laugh too often. She seems not to sleep too often, either. Lillian is pretty, but teenage girls her age are not supposed to look that tired.They’re not supposed to look that broken.

“What did you mean before?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

“Huh?”

“You said his body was barely even cold. Whose body?”

Lillian looks at me, confused, before a tear drops from her eye. “My dad. He died at the beginning of the year.”

Now it’s me who doesn’t follow the conversation. “But that’s not that long ago.”

“I heard you’re a smart guy and are going to RadTech. You do the math. I’m sure you know why my mom tried extra hard to make your dad fall in love with her.”

Today, Astrid Lee taught me something. Lillian Lee taught me something, as well. Having a dead mother is a lot better than having a shitty one.

8

Haruki - 18 years old

Two months later

We lay naked, tangled up under the sheets in our air-conditioned room. It feels nicer here than outside in the hot August weather.It feels nicer anywhere with him around.Ever since the luncheon at his house, the two of us have been inseparable. Bryce has been staying here with me at the shady bed and breakfast every night. Despite my objections, he even paid Suzie extra and upgraded us to the nicest room.

I gently trail my fingers along his pecs and down to his abs, earning me a stern look. “Haruki,” he warns. “We don’t have time for this. We still have to go back to my place so I can pack my things.” He tilts my chin up and kisses the tip of my nose. “Besides, I don’t think my dick works anymore. I’m pretty sure this bed is going to break by the time we check out.”

“Your dick works just fine, Bryce,” I say with a smile as I bite my bottom lip.

“Is this your way of telling me that you want to get fucked one more time before we leave?”

“Maybe.” I blush at my own words. Bryce is the only person who is ever direct with me. He doesn’t want to read between the lines. He wants me to spell everything out for him because he wants to understand who I am as a person—my wants, my needs, my desires. Every day I spend with him is another day I get to know him,and myself,better.

“Say it, then,” he teases. “What do you want, Haruki?”

I tuck my hair behind my ear and feel my face getting hotter. “You.” I swallow my pride and repeat myself louder the second time around. “I want you.”

Bryce breaks out into a grin and starts moving his body lower on the bed. “Now, that’s better.”

“I thought you said your dick doesn’t work anymore?” I ask while looking down at him, feeling the tingles of his touch on my thighs.

“My tongue works just fine.”There it is again. The smile that I have to say goodbye to at some point.

His lips start planting slow and gentle kisses on the sides of my thighs, like he is trying to capture the feeling of my skin on his mouth. The last place they make a stop is at the tattoo on my thigh. Bryce parts my legs before licking my opening, dragging his tongue slowly until he reaches my already swollen clit.

Our eyes meet when he looks up. “You don’t have to look away,” he says. “Just enjoy the show.” With our gaze still locked on each other, Bryce puts his fingers into me while he eats me out like this is the last meal he is going to have before we leave for Hawaii.

His tongue enters my opening before moving up and swirling around my clit. I push my hips toward him, begging for more. My eyes can’t stop staring at his head, moving up and downbetween my legs. A moan escapes when he starts to find a rhythm that matches the buildup within me.

Bryce is still looking at me and I’m still looking at him, those piercing blue eyes getting a full view of my face blushing. “Are you close, Haruki?” I can feel the breath that comes out of his mouth on me. I nod, unable to form coherent sentences, too embarrassed to even speak with him staring.

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