Page 55 of Ink Me Three Times
And then it’s just us.
He drops his keys on the counter, humming something under his breath as he starts making a fresh pot of coffee. Like it’s a normal morning. Like nothing’s shifted.
But it has.
He’s got that lightness to him. That looseness in the shoulders. Thatglow.
He doesn’t say anything about it.
Doesn’t gloat.
Doesn’t even mention her name.
But it doesn’t matter.
I know.
And it hits me harder than I thought it would.
Because this isn’t the smug, post conquest strut I braced for.
This is worse.
He’s just… content.
And that undoes me more than anything else could have.
He likes her.
And maybe, I don’t know, maybe she likes him back.
My stomach twists.
I drag a palm over my face, turning away like it might stop the flood. Like if I don’t look at him, I won’t have to feel this.
He doesn’t even notice.
Tim just leans against the counter, sipping his mug, eyes soft and distant like he’s replaying something good.
I should be happy for him.
He deserves something easy. Something real.
But all I can think about is that night. The curve of Ivy’s throat. Her voice in the dark. Her breath catching when I touched her. The way she left without a name.
And how I let her go without asking for it.
I might’ve told Tim he could go for it.
Might’ve pretended it didn’t matter.
But that was before she started showing up in all the in between moments. Before I started wondering what would’ve happened if I hadn’t let fear win.
I scrub at the same damn spot on my desk again.
Futile.
Pointless.
