Page 12 of No Mistakes
I never wanted to lie to her, never wanted to put that look in her eyes when she believed he was gone. But when they sat me down in that house, spelling out their world, their enemies, and exactly what they’d do to Eva if the truth ever slipped. Whatchoice did I have? Every instinct in me burned to protect her. So I lied. And I’d fucking do it again. Even knowing it carved me hollow, even knowing it killed something inside me I’ll never get back. Because losing a piece of myself was still better than ever risking losing my best friend.
I feel a presence shift beside me, and I look at Ant still standing there firm, arms folded, completely unreadable to anyone who doesn’t know him.
I tap his elbow gently, “Come on, Romeo. Let’s give them space before someone ends up with more than just emotional damage.”
He doesn’t argue with me, not like he could anyway, and pushes himself off the wall we were leaning against. I move first, and I don’t need to look behind me to know he’s following every step I make while I head towards the exit sign at the end of the room.
The air outside is cooler than I expected, and I tug my jacket tighter as we walk towards the car. Ant walks beside me, silent as ever, but I swear I can feel his smirk every time I glance up at him.
He’s so god damn tall. I mean, I’m not small, but he has to be at least 6ft4 with the way I have to crane my neck just to look at his face, but fuck me, it is worth it every single time.
“You know, for someone who doesn’t speak, you’reweirdlygood at making your opinions known,” I say. He doesn’t look at me right away, but I catch the subtle raise of his brow as his gaze flicks towards me, amused.
“What?” I grin. “Don’t give me that look. I saw you watching Axel and Eva like you were silently judging every word.”
Ant pulls his phone from his pocket, typing something before showing me the screen.
“It was a train-wreck. Entertaining though.”
I laugh out loud, “Wow. Brutal.”
He wastes no time before typing another message out.“You would’ve stepped in if it went too far.”
His message stops me from walking, and I turn to look at him properly. There’s something about the way he said it. Like he knows I would’ve protected Eva without hesitation. “Are you paying that much attention to me, Ant?” I ask, my tone playful but dipped in curiosity.
He meets my eyes, pausing a moment while tilting his head. The corner of his mouth curves before he types something else. “Always.”
His response catches me off guard, knocking the breath from my lungs. Just one word, and somehow it hits harder than I expected. Damn it… Why did that one word feel like a spark straight to my chest? Like he knew exactly where to aim.
I turn away before he can see just how much his response rattled me, and start walking again towards my car. My voice is light, but my heart’s doing somersaults right now. “You coming, silent one? Or are you just going to keep staring at me while I walk away?” I ask over my shoulder. I don’t hear a reply, of course, but the sound of his boots colliding with the gravel fills the air. It doesn’t take him long to catch up, as I feel the heat of his presence grow when he steps beside me. We don’t speak as we make our way around the side of the building, where it’s quieter and the air feels less suffocating.
I stop beside a low wall, leaning against it, and finally dare to look at him. He stands there with his arms folded, his eyes tracking every movement I make, all while having that unreadable expression back on his face. But there’s something softer now, just behind his eyes.
“Are you always this intense?” I ask, arching a brow. “Or is it just around me?”
He types something into his phone again, and I curse silently, wishing I could just hear his voice once.
“You bring it out of me.” The text reads.
My breath catches in my throat, and he leans his back against the wall beside me. Close enough that our arms almost touch. My pulse skips, and I do everything to try and stop the stupid smile threatening to tug at my lips.
“Well…” I murmur, letting my fingers trail along the edge of the stone wall. “Remind me to stick around then. Wouldn’t want you missing out on your daily dose of chaos.”
He glances down at me.. Yes down. And I swear,swear… there’s a flicker of something in his eyes that makes me forget what air tastes like.
“Noted.”
For fuck sake… this man. This man has me in an absolute chokehold, and I have no idea how to get out of it. He locks his eyes on mine with an intensity that makes it even harder to breathe. That razor-sharp gaze that strips past every mask I try to wear.
“You always stare like that?” I ask, lifting my chin. “Or is it just me you’re trying to mentally undress?”
He scoffs, and I swear it’s like my panties dropped from that sound alone. He lifts his phone, showing me the screen.“Wouldn’t call it undressing. Not when I already envision what’s under the attitude.”
Damn him. I press my hands harder into the wall behind me, grounding myself because my body is already too aware of his nearness. My heart hammers against my ribs like it’s trying to escape.
He takes a step closer until he’s standing in front of me, his shadow almost overlapping mine, his presence thick in the air between us.
He lifts his phone one more time, and I take a moment before reading it, preparing myself for what he has to say.
