Page 18 of Lie to Me

Tears drip down my face as my legs crumble beneath me. I hit the floor with a thud, though I don’t feel anything. The only thing I feel is the pain of the memories washing over me. Memories I’ve spent ten years coming to terms with. If only I had known back when me and Marco were dating what was about to happen, I’d have ended things between us before they began. I’d have broken things off before they broke me.

Chapter Nine

Marco

Past – May 2014

Two months have passed since my first date with Sloane and we’ve seen each other once, sometimes twice a week since then.

True to my word, we’ve been taking things slow. I think Sloane has finally realized that I want her for her. I’m glad I made the decision to hold off on any more intimacy until I could prove to her that’s not all I want her for.

I know that wasn’t a main concern, but it’s important to me that she knows how much I just want to be with her, not just mess around like I would’ve done with girls in the past. Two months have gone by in the blink of an eye, and I can feel myself being pulled deeper and deeper into her orbit.

Sloane is amazing. She’s like no one I’ve ever known. The only issue is our families. If our relationship came out, it would no doubt start an all-out war, putting the people we love in danger.

I want everything with Sloane. I want all of her, always. But how can I have her and keep my family safe at the same time? We’ve talked about it, and the only solution we’ve come up with is to continue our relationship in secret and hope that one day, we’ll be able to be out in the open. It’s unfair, but it’s our reality.

I hate that I’m lying to people, but if I had to choose between being honest with my family or having Sloane in my life, I’d choose her every time.

It’s Sloane’s nineteenth birthday. I’d love nothing more than to take her out somewhere to celebrate, but unfortunately, that’s just not possible.

So, after spending the last few days wracking my brain and trying to figure out what to do, I finally came up with something I think she’ll love.

Rather than go all out, buying her tons of gifts and flowers and whatever else most women in our world like, I’m keeping it simple. Sloane isn’t the type of girl who would enjoy that sort of material shit. She already has everything she could ever want.

I guide Sloane up onto the roof of my building, carefully walking behind her because the thought of her falling has my gut clenching.

Once we step out onto the roof, she gasps at the sight in front of us. Sloane once told me that she used to love going on vacation. Not because of the expensive places she used to stay in, but because she used to be able to see the stars at night.

I know we can’t see the stars from here, but I’m hoping she’ll like what I’ve done instead. The rooftop is kitted out with hundreds of fairy lights, lighting it up and glittering the area. There’s a blanket laid out on the floor with a picnic basket fullof her favorite foods.I Wanna Be Yoursby Arctic Monkeys—the song we danced to on our first date—plays on a speaker.

“You did all of this for me?” she asks with tears shining in her eyes.

“Of course,” I say while staring down at her with a smile playing on my lips. “I wish I could whisk you away somewhere so we could look at the stars for real, but…” I shrug my shoulders and she nods. She knows we’d likely be caught since we’d both need to take security if we were to leave the city. “Do you like it?”

“I love it, Marco. Thank you,” she whispers and presses a kiss to my cheek before heading towards the blanket. She plops down and digs through the picnic basket, gasping as she sees what I’ve filled it with. She shakes her head as she looks at me, as though she can’t quite believe I’m real.

I know that feeling.

I feel it every time I’m with her.

I feel it every time I look at her, like she’ll disappear at any moment.

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out why. Slowly but surely, she’s managed to knock down any walls I had, one by one, and found a way to engrave her name on my fucking heart.

I’m fucked. The feelings I have for her are so strong it’s maddening. Is it love? I don’t know, because I’ve never been in love, but I sure as hell want her more than I want my next breath.

I pull her gift from my pocket and hand it to her. She eyes me curiously before opening the box to reveal the necklace inside. The pendant attached glitters under the lights surrounding us and she brushes her thumb over it. The pendant itself is a dahlia with a dagger through it. Equal parts her and me. Her, a blossoming flower so beautiful it hurts, and me, the dagger with the rough edges, coming together to make something extraordinary.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes before handing it to me and turning around. She gathers her hair in her hand, lifting it away from her neck so I can put it on her. Once it’s clasped, I place a kiss to the back of her neck and whisper, “Happy Birthday, baby.”

She turns to look at me over her shoulder where I sit behind her and gifts me with a soul shattering smile. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

I shake my head with a chuckle and press a kiss to her lips.

“I just wanted to see you smile. Now, let’s eat,” I say, motioning towards the hoard of snacks she’s laid out on the blanket. She grabs what she wants and nestles herself between my legs, leaning back against my chest as I wrap my arms around her shoulders.

After an hour of eating and talking, she turns and gazes up at me from under her lashes.

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