Page 59 of It's Only Ever Been You

It takes less than a minute for his reply to come through.

Jace: 814. Why?

I don’t bother answering him. The hallway is quiet as I step out, my footsteps muffled by the carpet as I make my way toward her floor. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat louder than the last as I step into the elevator and hit the button for the eighth floor.

As the elevator hums its way up, doubt creeps in.

What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if I’m pushing too hard, too fast?

When the doors slide open, I hesitate for a moment before stepping out. The corridor stretches ahead, dimly lit and silent. I stop in front of her door, the number 814 shining faintly in the glow of the hallway lights. My fingers twitch at my sides, torn between knocking and turning back. The faint glow of light seeping from beneath her door is the only sign that she’s awake, and my breath catches as I raise my hand.

The truth is, I don’t know what’s right. All I know is that I can’t go another night like this, wondering what might’ve been, haunted by everything I didn’t say.

“Don’t screw this up,” I mutter under my breath, my jaw tightening as I stare at her door. My heart hammers against my ribs as I raise my hand to knock, but it falters.

This is it. No turning back now.

With a deep breath, I let my knuckles tap against the wood.

“Emma?”

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. Then, the faint sound of footsteps and the door creaking open.

Her eyes meet mine, wide and filled with a mix of surprise and something else—something that makes my chest tighten and my pulse quicken.

“Ethan? What are you doing here?” She whispers, her voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.

“I couldn’t wait,” I admit, my voice rough and raw. “I needed to see you.”

She hesitates, her hand gripping the edge of the door, her gaze searching mine. And in that moment, the world fades away, leaving just the two of us standing on the precipice of something we can’t ignore.

“Come in,” she says softly, stepping back to let me inside.

And just like that, the space between us disappears and my lips are on hers.

Chapter Twenty

No Holding Back

Emma

The door clicks shut behind Ethan, and the quiet of the room feels heavy, electric, like the air before a storm. I barely have a second to register what’s happening before his lips crash against mine, stealing my breath and every coherent thought in my head.

The kiss is fiery, desperate, a culmination of years of longing and unspoken words. His hands frame my face, his thumbs brushing against my jaw as he holds me like I might disappear if he lets go. I clutch at his hoodie, my fingers curling into the soft fabric as I kiss him back with everything I have.

When he finally pulls away, we’re both breathing hard, our foreheads resting together as if the space between us might break the fragile moment. His hands slide down to my waist, anchoring me against him, and his breath is warm against my lips when he speaks.

“Emma,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough, laced with need and something deeper. “If you don’t want this, you need to tell me now. Because I’m barely holding on.”

I swallow hard, my lips parting as I try to form words. But I can’t. Not when he’s looking at me like that, not when my entire body is screaming for him. Instead, I lean closer, my trembling hand brushing against his chest. The soft cotton of his hoodie is warm under my palm, and I can feel the steady thrum of his heart beating beneath my touch.

“I don’t want you to stop,” I whisper, the words trembling out of me like a confession, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my chest.

That’s all it takes to break him.

He moves faster than I can blink, his hands gripping my waist as he pulls me flush against him with no space between us. His mouth crashes into mine, hot and demanding, and I gasp at the sheer intensity of it. His lips are soft but insistent, his kiss a claim, a promise, and a plea all rolled into one.

I let out a soft moan, my hands sliding up to tangle in his hair as I kiss him back with everything I have. It’s messy and desperate, like we’re trying to make up for years of holding back. His teeth graze my bottom lip, and I gasp, giving him the opening he needs to deepenthe kiss.

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