Page 6 of Burn for You

I sigh as I pull myself off the couch and pad down the hallway to my bedroom, keeping to the middle to avoid the darkness. I can feel the cold of the polished concrete underfoot, even with my socks on. I love how it looks, but I learnt my first winter after the renovations that fuzzy socks were my new best friend.

It doesn’t get super cold here in the winter, but cold enough that you’d want to be wearing a beanie if you’re bald.

I push open the third door on the right that opens to my bedroom. The other doors in the hallway lead to four other bedrooms and three bathrooms. I don’t know why I built this place as if I’m ever going to have that many visitors. Sometimes it just makes the place feel even more empty, reminding me of the family that isn’t here anymore to fill those rooms.

I rip my shirt over my head and toss it across the room, hoping it will land in the laundry basket as I trudge into my ensuite.

I look at myself in the mirror and I look like I’ve been hit by a bus. Bags sit under my eyes and my hair betrays the fact that I’ve been running my hands through it the whole night. I look tragic.

I decide to splash my face with some cold water, hoping it’ll shock my body back to life, but it does nothing to help my appearance. I guess it’s only fair that I look as rough as I feel.

In another world, Marisol would be living here with me, her laugh filling the empty hallways. We always talked about living together when we were younger. Maybe that’s why I made this house so big, remembering her young promise that we’d always stay together. I always thought that one day I’d have little nieces and nephews that would come and stay with me, but now, I barely even know my sister anymore, and this house feels emptier with every day that goes by.

I sigh again as I walk back into the room and pull back the covers and slide into the cool, crisp sheets of my bed.

I hate going to bed thinking of family, but it’s all I seem to do lately. It’s all I can think of as my breathing slows, as the dark behind my eyes gets even darker, and I feel myself slip away into another dreamless sleep.

chapter three

MAY

“He didwhat?!”

“Yup. The worst timing, too. I was so close, and now Dean won’t even text me back. He’s too scared of the big bad wolf.” I roll my eyes.

Marina lets out a giggle from beside me where we stand behind the bar, polishing glasses as I recount the events of last night to my friends.

Marina’s closed an hour ago, but Isla is here hanging around while Marina and I close up for the night.

Now that Isla swapped out her shifts here for a permanent job down at Nora’s art studio, I don’t see her as much. She’s wrapped up in her dream career and her dream man and don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier for her. But before we moved to Ruby Cove, Isla and I lived in each other's pockets, so I always enjoy when she comes to the bar at closing. It feels like old times.

The three of us became near inseparable when we were all working here together. Back in New York, it was always just me and Isla against the world. But here, we have a chosen family—an entire community that made space for us in their small town—and the first person to open their arms to us was Marina.

Well, really, it was Caio, but the charmer had ulterior motives.

Marina’s giggle turns into a full on fit.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m just imagining this whole thing in my head,” she laughs. “Imagining Rafael’s face when he saw you like that.”

“Yeah…his face when he walked in wasalmostworth the loss of what I could tell was going to be an earth-shattering orgasm.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had an earth-shattering orgasm,” Marina says.

“Well, neither have I, but that one felt like it had potential.” I shrug.

Isla sits quietly across from us, a light blush over her cheeks. “Oh my god, she’s had one, if not one hundred.” I throw my hands up.

Marina leans over the bar. “Is my cousin giving you life-altering orgasms?”

Isla slams her hands over her eyes as a blush creeps up her chest. “Oh my god.”

“Life altering. I like that one,” I say. “Is that what they are?”

“Do you think I would’ve moved across the world if I wasn’t having life-altering orgasms?” Isla finally answers. Marina chuckles to herself, and I just whip Isla across the bar with my towel.

Isla shakes her head across from me. “Back to our original topic—are you and Rafael ever going to get along?”

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