Page 25 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

“Doing what?”

“Taking yourself out of the running. Acting like you’re not already everything I want.”

He turns, too, and our faces are inches apart. Close enough to kiss.

“If we do this,” he murmurs, “I’m not walking away. Not again. I’m not a confused fourteen-year-old anymore.”

My heart pounds. “Then maybe it's time we stop dancing around it.” I push away the doubt and hide in the darkness. I allow myself this moment.

He leans in. I brace.

But at the last second, I pull away.

“Not tonight,” I whisper. “But soon.”

His smile is soft. “I can wait.”

And somehow, that feels like the real beginning of something.

CHAPTERELEVEN

RHYS

Keeping this a secret is already driving me insane.

I get why Ally wanted to keep things quiet, and I agreed because it was what she needed. But now that I know what it feels like to have her—to hold her, kiss her—I hate pretending nothing has changed.

Every time I’m near her, I want to reach out, pull her close, and remind her that she’s mine.

But I can’t.

Which is why tonight is torture.

Movie night at the house is usually easy.

A chance to relax with our friends, take a break from all the shit going on in our lives. But tonight, Ally is curled up on the other side of the couch, acting like she doesn’t feel the way my knee is barely brushing hers, as if she didn’t melt against me the last time we were alone.

And I have to act normal like I’m not itching to close the space between us.

It’s hell.

Chase is making a big deal about which movie we should watch, flipping through our options like his life depends on it. Arden and Yasmin are bickering about snacks while Ella watches on, amused. Ashley, though quiet, is present in the room, curled in an armchair and occasionally glancing between Ally and me.

She knows things have changed even though we haven’t talked about it since that first night I kissed Ally.

She hasn’t said anything outright, but she doesn’t have to. The way she watches us, the way she subtly raises an eyebrow when Ally shifts a little closer before catching herself—she sees it all. And unlike the others, she’s not just teasing.

She’s figuring us out.

“Alright,” Chase announces, pointing the remote at the TV. “We’re going with something that won’t make Arden fall asleep in the first ten minutes.”

“I don’t fall asleep,” Arden argues.

“You do,” Yasmin and Ella say in unison.

Ally laughs, and the sound sends a sharp ache through my chest. I miss hearing that when it’s just us. When she isn’t trying to keep up this whole act of normalcy. I glance at her, but she’s focused on the screen, avoiding me.

I clench my jaw. I need a break from this.

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