Page 69 of Ink & Stardust

“You mean like she wants to jump right through the screen and then jump him?” Maisie snorts out a laugh. “Oh, I’ve noticed.”

“Probably because it’s true. I do want to jump through the phoneandjump him,” Char says unapologetically, owning her feelings in a way I’m too afraid to do. Maybe because I know the second I admit my feelings out loud, to anyone, they become real, and that will only serve to further complicate things.

We all three look at each other for a long moment and then burst into laughter.

I love these girls. Truly.

Coming here, I didn’t know what to expect. Didn’t know if I’d like my roommates, if I’d hate them, if I’d be the weird out-of-state person with no friends who spent every night holed up in her room, sinking further into her own self-pity.

Honestly, that was one of my biggest fears when I chose to switch schools at the last minute and move to a state I hadn’t even visited before, that I would be even more alone than I already was. But that has provennotto be the case at all. And it’s thanks to these two.

We fall silent when there’s a knock at the door.

“Lover boy is here,” Charlotte whisper-hisses across the room.

“You’re lucky I love you,” I whisper-hiss right back, crossing the room to tug open the door, my heart thudding wildly in my chest when a pair of blue eyes meet mine.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the way my body physically reacts to seeing Kai.

“Hi.” I smile up at him, at the strands of hair, still wet from the shower, that fall across his forehead, making him so impossibly handsome that I could just melt into a puddle right where I stand.

“Hi.” He flashes me a grin that he seems to reserve only for me. “Ladies.” He tips his chin to Char and Maisie behind me. “Thanks for letting me steal Lyric for the evening.”

“We aren’t letting you do anything.”

I can hear the pout in Char’s voice.

“She didn’t give us a choice.”

I don’t have to turn around to know she’s pointing at me.

“You ready?” I ask, suddenly very anxious to get out of here. Probably because I’m worried Charlotte will say something I don’t want her to say, like the fact that all I want to do is to be with him, and when I’m not with him, I’m thinking about beingwith him, all of which I confessed to her in secret the other night in a moment of weakness.

“Yep.” He steps back, giving me room to slip past him into the hallway.

“Have fun at the party. I love you. Be safe,” I ramble off quickly before tugging the door closed behind me.

“Everything okay?” Kai quirks a brow in question.

“Yeah. Those two are just a bit much sometimes.”

“I can imagine they are.” He takes my hand, halting my movements before I can even take one step down the hall. “Come here.” He pulls me close, his hand splaying across the side of my neck seconds before he lowers his mouth to mine. “I’ve missed you,” he murmurs against my lips before kissing me, slow and deep, making my insides tremble in the way only he can.

“You just saw me yesterday,” I remind him with a smile as he pulls away.

“Exactly.” He reluctantly releases me as I step back but holds tight to my hand.

I try to ignore the impact of his implication, but it’s impossible to do, especially when he looks at me like that.

“We should probably get going if we’re going to make it to your grandma’s in time for trick or treating,” I say, knowing if he keeps it up, we won’t be going anywhere tonight but his bed. “She does know I’m coming, yes?”

“She does. Though she was more surprised than I expected when I told her.” He squeezes my fingers as we make our way down the hall.

“If this is the part where you tell me you’ve never brought a girl home to meet her before, I’m turning around and going right back to my room,” I teasingly warn.

“Okay, then I won’t tell you the truth.”

I glance up at his profile, gauging for any sign that he’s messing with me.

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