Page 22 of Scattered Glitter

“Justgo,” she repeats, and I can see her hands trembling.

I stay frozen, struggling to process what’s happening. “I didn’t mean to—” I begin, but she cuts me off with a sharp look.

“I said,get out.”

Her body language is stiff and defensive, and now, even the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes has disappeared. She’s shutting down, closing off. There’s a wall going up, but it’s made of glass, and I can already see the cracks forming.

Realizing I’ve crossed a line I didn’t even know wasthere, I slowly get up, my hands raised in surrender. “I’m sorry.”

She turns her head away, her gaze fixed on the wall. The silence between us is suffocating, filled with all the things I don’t know how to fix, all the ways I didn’t mean to hurt her.

Finally, I leave her room and continue out of the apartment, closing the door behind me.

What the fuck was that?

I lean against the wall in the hallway, running a hand over my face, trying to steady my racing thoughts. When I’m finally able to push myself off, I walk down the narrow hallway, the realization hitting me with the force of a sledgehammer.

I probably just fucked up the only chance I’ll ever have with her.

All the months of wanting, of imagining what it would be like to finally have her gone.

I should’ve known better. I should’ve seen it coming. She pulled back whenever I got too close, using the glitter and the guys to keep everyone at arm’s length. But I thought… I don’t know what I thought.

That I’d be different?

That she’d let me in?

The more I think about it, the angrier I get at myself for fucking things up, and by the time I reach the exit, I’m practically seething as I fling the doors open and storm out onto the street. My bike is sitting there, parked where I left it, and I grab my helmet off the seat, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turn white.

Without thinking, I hurl it across the yard, watching as it crashes against the side of a trash can with a loud clang, then bounces away, rolling into the darkness.

“Fuck!”

I don’t know what just happened, but I know one thing for sure.

I’m not giving up.

Not yet. Not until she looks at me without that storm in her eyes, without that wall between us.

CHAPTER SIX

Novalee

The warm night air wraps around me as I quietly slide open the window to our bedroom, letting a breeze brush against my skin. Rosalee’s steady breaths fill the room. She’s completely unaware that I’m sneaking out without her for the first time.

I climb onto the windowsill, pausing to steady myself. Fingers gripping the cold stone ledge, I ease my body over the edge, ready to drop from the first floor. Just as I let go, strong hands catch my hips and guide me down, causing my breath to hitch. My back slides against a firm body, and my feet land softly on the ground.

“Hey, Trouble,” Ace whispers, his breath warm against my ear, sending a shock of heat through me.

My breath catches in my throat, and I pause, momentarily frozen by the feel of him behind me. I have to take a second to gather myself before I turn to face him. His ice-blue eyes lock onto mine, that irresistible smirk curving his lips.

“Hi,” I whisper, barely able to contain the smile creeping onto my face.

His hands linger on my hips for just a second longer,then he lets go, the warmth of his touch still burning against my skin. He steps back casually as if he wasn’t just holding me, his leather jacket hugging his lean frame perfectly.

His eyes catch the faint glow of the streetlights, making them appear as if they’re almost glowing in the dark.

“Come on,” he whispers, tipping his head to the street.

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