Page 79 of The Masks We Wear

“You made me so happy that night. I knew you didn’t want to watch that show. But you did it anyway. That was the third time I knew I loved you.”

“The third?” My brows furrow, but he doesn’t respond.

Instead, he lies on his side, returning to his previous position. His eyes flutter shut, and he just murmurs a soft, “third.”

A few moments later, his breath becomes steady and heavy, filling the room with his tempo. I lay still for what’s probably hours, listening to his rest.

I want to stay like this forever. Forget the world and just exist here in our own private bubble. But the shower water that’s still running won’t let me.

Forcing myself to get up, I gently move his arm and hop out of bed, meandering to the bathroom. When I pass the front door, Spencer’s backpack catches my eye. It’s open, and half the contents are sprawled on the ground. I bend down, sticking the items back in, when something catches my eye.

I examine it slowly, and within a second, an idea materializes.

I’m supposed to be closing things here, guarding my heart against ever breaking again.

But hey, what’s one more time?

THIRTY THREE

It’s the warmth of the sun on my face that wakes me up. Deep yellow rays penetrate the thin hotel curtains, blinding me with its light. The world’s natural alarm and most annoying thing to see after a hangover.

I groan, rolling over and drawing the sheets over my face. Why I decided to let them talk me into some tequila World of Warcraft game, I’ll never know. Since I don’t play the damn game, I was the first one to drink. Every. Single. Time. After my sixth shot, I bowed out.

Then, there was that fucking dream.

Lily.

Like the juice of the forbidden apple, it still coats my tongue in its sweetness. It’s the type of taste you can’t get enough of, easy to get addicted to… to love. The memory of her warm body writhing beneath me, arching into me like she couldn’t get enough, and her orgasm...Fuck.It was amazing watching her completely unravel, shedding years of built-up anger in a single moment.

Right before Lily came, her toes curled so tight, three of them popped. And when I looked up, her nose was scrunched up in the cutest way—I actually had to look back down to keep from smiling.

Groaning again, I roll on my side, releasing my throbbing dick from being trapped under my thighs.

And then I hear it. A light stifled giggle.

My body tenses and everything I thought was a fucking dream slaps me in the face.

“Hey.” Her voice isn’t too far, and it’s a tone I haven’t heard from her. Light, sweet, dripping with affection.

I’m in the fucking twilight zone. I know it.

“Hey.” My voice, on the other hand, is hoarse, what I imagine a zombie would sound like rising from the dead.

“How are you feeling?”

That evokes a throaty laugh from the back of my throat. I throw the cover off and let my eyes focus.

Lily’s sitting in the armchair next to the bed, legs clad in skin-tight ripped jeans, crossed, and a slightly oversized band tee draped off one shoulder. Those blonde locks I’m coming to like, are tied into a messy, yet adorable bun on the top of her head.

And her eyes. Seeing the chestnut hue for the second day in a row feels like winning the fucking lottery. They are lighter than I remember, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out how she doesn’t love them. But when she tilts her head, she reveals dark shadows beneath them. Like she didn’t sleep... at all.

“Are you okay?” I try my best to hide the sudden alarm tightening my vocal cords.

What if she regrets everything? I know where she stands with me and how much I care, but the same can’t be said for her. She may have gotten me out of her system and is ready to move on.

Forget.

Thankfully Lily speaks, pulling me from the thoughts trying to drown me. “I did a midnight run to Wally World. And I made you something.”

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