Page 79 of Behind the Bars

Histouch…

Hisbody…

Hisworld…

Oh, how I longed to return to the world of Elliott, where everything made sense and I never questioned what lovemeant.

He tasted like whiskey and memories I’d almostforgotten.

I gently moaned into him as he made love to my lips. Our bodies pressed against one another, two people twisting into a fantasy ofyesterdays.

He remembered hispromise.

He remembered saying he’d kiss me once we metagain.

He remembered hiswords.

But thiskiss…

This kiss was even more. It was more than I’d thought I would receive and probably more than he’d known he would give. It was painful, ugly, sad, and somehow stillbeautiful.

Our kiss was the apology for all we’dmissed.

He slowly pulled back, my hands resting against his chest, his hands still wrapped around me. His teeth slowly grazed against my bottom lip as he rested his forehead against mine. Our breaths were uneven, and I wondered if it was his heartbeats or mine that were so wild and free. He licked his lips slowly, and held me sotight.

TJ waswrong.

He was the same. He was the same gentle boy whose touches healed me. He was the same quiet boy who held me when I needed him the most. He was the same sweet light in a world filled withdarkness.

I breathed him in and held him so close, feeling like if I let go, he’d vanish into thin air. “I’m so sorry, Elliott.” I cried into his shirt, pulling him closer to me as our lips touched. “I’m so sorry aboutKatie.”

He let mego.

He stepped backward, and when our eyes met, his stare was filled with confusion. Then each time he blinked, his eyes became duller…tougher…colder.

Hard.

“What?” he askedquietly.

“I… TJ told me what happened. I’m so sorry, I can’t believeshe’s—”

“Shut up,” he barked out of nowhere. Every gentle part of him was now gone. My head started swirling, thinking I’d made it all up, as if our embrace, our kiss was simply a mirage in my tiredmind.

“What?” I remained baffled, climbing off the table. “El—”

“No,” he ordered and didn’t say another word. He gathered his notebook, and walked away, disappearing up a staircase. My heart was racing in my chest, and confusion filled myhead.

Elliott had welcomed me back into hislife.

Then, in a flash, he’d vanished into thinair.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Elliott

Jazz.

My favorite kind ofmusic.

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