Page 35 of The Casualty of Us
And his silence has me finishing for him. “Stole a car.”
“Stole a car,” he agrees, finally turning his head back to look at me and seeming surprised by what he finds there. “What?”
“Nothing,” I choke out, pressing my lips together to keep it contained before shrugging. “Seems like a reasonable thing to do to me.”
His eyes flick down to where my lips are pressed together again before coming back to mine. “Fuck off.” He laughs quietly, giving the giggles permission to burst free from my lips. “I’m baring my soul here, okay?”
“Oh–oh–my god.” I cackle. “I gave you my whole sad kidnapping story and—” A very indelicate snort of laughter interrupts me before I rally enough to get out, “And all you have is that you stole a car because no one was paying attention to you?”
“Point made.” He grins at me with a shake of his head. “And you didn’t tell me your whole sad kidnapping story.”
“Minor detail.” I snort again, waving a hand at him. “You got enough of it, and all I got was the sad, sad secret life of rock star bab—eek!” A screech leaves me when he suddenly pulls meagainst his chest, unwinding our fingers to slide his arm under my head, and I can’t help scooching even closer, soaking up all that cedar scent before murmuring into his chest. “I thought you said there would be no leading?”
“I’m not.” He brings his other hand up to start running his fingers over the lines of my face and I turn my head for him. “I decided we’re going to bed instead of you continuing to beat up on me.”
“You love it.” I grin.
“Debatable,” he scoffs. “But we can save that one for class next week. It’ll be way more lively than what you’ve been picking.”
My eyes flutter shut as he continues to make soft little passes over my skin, moving down my face slowly and making me start to drift off to dreamland. Realizing as I do just how perfect my normal girl night has been, it’s enough to have me pushing for more. “Hey, Hayes.”
“Yeah?”
“What if I want you to kiss me?”
His fingers stop, chest stilling instantly under my head before he breathes again. “Not yet.”
I start to scowl, but his fingers are already moving again, smoothing it out and leaving me to yawn. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to fuck it up.”
“Okay,” I sigh, snuggling down some more. “By the way…I’m sorry your mom is a bitch.”
“Me too, O.” He laughs quietly. “Me too.”
I start to drift off with a little grin on my lips and almost miss his quiet promise.
“Sleep, Freckles, I’ve got you.”
Chapter Nine
OPHELIA - OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012
The sun is barely upthe next morning when I wake up in a cocoon of limbs. Deliciously warm from the waves of heat coming off the body wrapped around mine and my first breath bringing the scent of cedar with it. I blink my eyes open to watery sunlight streaming through the window, and the sight of Hayes’s room has the memory of last night rushing back. Leaving me craning my neck around to see him lying behind me with his hair even more of a mess than usual and lips moving with each puff of air that leaves them.
I take a moment to simply stare in a way that I never would when we’re both awake. Eyes trailing over the little nick in his right eyebrow where the hair never seems to grow back and the arch of his cheekbones that probably comes from his supermodel mother. Trying to memorize each of the dark lashes fanning out over his deep olive skin and letting myself stare longer than I should, really.
Part of me hoping he wakes up and somehow convinces me to stay longer. Teases me into throwing caution to the wind.
But the other half knows I should get the hell out of here before Ollie wakes up because I don’t want to explain something that I can’t even categorize yet. It would make things awkwardat the very least, probably for everyone, and I don’t want to risk the relationships of what’s quickly becoming our school family or the stability we’ve found here.
So I give myself another ten seconds. Silently counting them down in my head and letting myself soak up every bit of this moment. The way his arm is tucked tightly around my waist with the other propped under his own head. The way our legs are tangled together until his own are practically trapping mine. All of it.
Then I slowly slide myself out from under him, moving away in minute increments until I’ve scooted right to the edge of the bed. Carefully pressing my feet to the floor and tiptoeing over to grab my boots. Allowing myself one last look back when I finally make it to his door and catching the way he’s starting to move around before slipping out of it.
I hold the doorknob to keep it still while pulling it closed, finally blowing out a deep breath when it shuts soundlessly and turning around—
“Holy shit.”
