Page 49 of Keep Me Safe

“You know I don’t want her,” he repeats, his eyes staring directly into mine.

The implication of his words hits me. I know he doesn’t want her becausehe wants me, but it doesn’t matter because he will never let himself have me. Nothing more can happen between us. It’s wrong. I know that, but the way he’s looking at me is exhilarating. I need to clear my head, and I can’t do that when he’s this close. Turning away, I break out of his grasp.

“I’m going to go to bed. Goodnight, Noah.”

At first, I think he’ll stop me, but he doesn’t. He stays silent, watching me as I walk away.

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of a distinct knock at my door. Before he even enters, I know it’s Jared. A second later, he barrels into the room and launches himself onto mybed, wrapping his arms around me.

“Happy birthday, Kira!”

His voice is bright, full of unfiltered excitement, and it tugs something deep inside me. As my eyes adjust to the soft morning light, I blink up at him. His light brown hair is a mess, sticking up in wild angles, and he’s still in his pajama bottoms. He must have come straight here the moment he woke up.

His gaze drifts down, pausing where his hand rests on my hip. I follow his eyes and realize—one of my legs is kicked over the comforter, and my shirt has ridden up in my sleep, exposing more skin than I intended. A rush of warmth creeps up my neck as I quickly tug it down. Jared lets out a small sigh but says nothing, just giving my leg a quick pat before pushing himself off the bed.

“Come downstairs. Breakfast is ready,” he says, already heading for the door.

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Don’t take too long. It’s gonna get cold,” he calls before disappearing into the hallway.

I stare at the ceiling for a moment, letting the quiet settle around me.Nineteen.It doesn’t feel any different. It never does. Just another day.

I used to dread my birthday. Growing up, all the other kids got parties and presents. My mom thought those things were frivolous, and cake was always out of the question.

But the smell of bacon and coffee drifts in from the kitchen downstairs, pulling me out of those thoughts. My stomach tightens in response, and I finally push myself out of bed.

It’s not like that anymore.

I have people who care about me now.

I throw on a pair of shorts and head downstairs, running a hand through my hair to shake off the last traces of sleep.

As I step into the kitchen, the sight stops me in my tracks.

Jared is perched at the island, happily digging into his plate, and Noah stands by the coffee pot, pouring coffee into one of my mugs. He hands it to me without a word, like he’s done this a hundred times before. My fingers curl around the warm ceramic as I glance down at the counter—and freeze.

Eggs, toast, crispy bacon, fluffy pancakes, even a carefully arranged fruit platter.

An entire breakfast spread.

For me.

My chest tightens, something hot pressing against my ribs.

“You guys did all this?” I ask, my voice softer than I intend.

“Happy birthday,” Noah says softly.

“Oh my god, thank you guys so much!”

“This was all him,” Jared says, gesturing toward his dad.

Meeting Noah’s eyes, he shakes his head, waving me off.

“It’s nothing. I just thought you deserved a good breakfast before you went to work this morning.”

My heart warms at his gesture. He’s always taking care of me, always making sure I have everything I need. Filling my plate with one of everything, I take a seat next to Jared at the island.

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