Page 91 of The Casualty of Us
“‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey.’” I lift my eyes back to him, and the happiness there has me shrugging. “War, love, epic journeys. You should be set.”
And it only takes a beat for his dimples to cut deep. “Freckles.”
“Shut up.” I roll my eyes in earnest while looping my arms through my backpack and pulling it into place. “I have to go.”
“Come here.” He snags the strap and pulls me forward, dipping his head to brush his lips against mine before I even realize what’s happening.
The sudden move has me gasping in surprise, and he takes full advantage this time. Deepening the kiss as my eyes fall shut to slide his tongue against mine with a slow pass before biting down with a quick pull of my lower lip. Lingering in my space long enough for a couple more soft passes that have us breathing the same air and me lifting up on my tiptoes just as he whispers, “You going to text me about these?”
I open my eyes to find his sparkling with something far too pleased and a grin pulling at his lips. “Stop that.” The laugh that escapes him passes across my lips before I drop back down, scowling up at him but wanting to make sure. “Text me…if anything happens, yeah?”
He pauses, grin falling a little before it kicks back up. “Of course, yeah.”
“All right.” I lift my hands to slide my thumbs under the straps of my bag, knowing I need to leave but not wanting to go now that it’s here. “I have to go.”
Not wanting to leave him.
“Right.” He nods, eyes starting to move rapidly over my face like he’s trying to memorize it. “You better do that then.”
“Right.”
“Right.”
“Right.” I grin, a giggle quickly bubbling past my lips that has me ducking my head, but his fingers come up to the bottom of my chin and lift it back his way.
“And, O?” The hazel lands on the blue with that sense of rightness as he dips his head once more, brushing his lips against mine and ordering me softly, “Don’t let the crown slip.”
I blink at him, breath hitching as we stare at each other, so many unsaid things still left—
My phone starts to ring again, and I pull back immediately, noticing how he glares down at my pocket. “Tell Ollie to chill out.”
“He’s not great at that.” I snort, pushing myself into motion and stepping around him no matter how much my feet want to drag. “I have to go.”
He reaches for the door, pulling it open for me with a quiet, “Let me know when you get home safe, okay?”
“Yeah.” I nod, sparing one more glance at him over my shoulder and grinning at the sight of him standing in my doorway with his black hair all a mess. “Later, Dimples.”
And then I turn back around without letting myself linger any longer over it all.
I have all summer for that.
I haul ass out of the dorm from there, figuring I’ll text Marley from the road, apologizing for my departure and any boys that might be lingering around if I need to. Although I really hope he doesn’t because then I’m going to be playing twenty questions with her the whole ride home when I haven’t even really begunto process the whole thing myself. At least nowhere close to the depth that it needs to be processed and analyzed at.
Because I know I’m not alone when it comes to overthinking.
I’m sweating by the time I make it to the front of the school, where the line of cars is waiting, and find the one that’s ours. Seriously rethinking ever wearing sweats again and gasping through my apologies to the driver before collapsing into the seat across from Ollie when he pulls the door open for me. I completely ignore my twin while dumping my backpack on the floor and closing my eyes to catch my breath. Leaning my head back against the seat as the car starts to roll down the drive. Taking us home again.
“So.”
Ollie’s tight voice fills the car, and I crack an eye to look at him, lifting a brow when all I find is attitude there. “So.”
Because I’m just…tired of it.
“Really?” he scoffs, face hardening as his anger bursts like a bubble and floods the space. “You spend all night with my roommate, and that’s all I get?”
And I know it’s because he doesn’t understand it. Doesn’t understand why, out of everyone in the world, it had to be him. His roommate. His friend. Why I would draw a line in the sand between us because of a guy who fucked me over instead of siding with him.
I hardly understand it myself.
