Page 176 of The Perfect Spiral
I twirl my pasta carbonara around my fork, taking a bite and sighing at how the night has turned out. I can’t help but wonder how I’m going to survive a few days in New York with Knox without committing murder.
I finish my dinner and realize I’m still hungry. I order a chocolate cake with two scoops of ice cream, ignoring Kyle’s judgmental look.
“I’m still hungry, okay?” I mumble, handing the menu back to the waitress. Wes sends me a smile, shaking his head. It’s the first time he’s smiled since the others joined us.
I refuse to share my dessert, even with Wes, who is practically drooling over my chocolate cake.
“Should’ve ordered your own,” I say, pointing my spoon at him.
He gives me a pleading look. “Whatever happened to sharing is caring?”
“Who said I cared about you?” I tease, and he pretends to be hurt, placing his hand over his heart in mock pain. Knox snorts beside me.
“We both know you love me, sweetheart,” Wes says, his smile returning as he takes a sip of water.
I roll my eyes at him. “What gave it away, Wes?” I retort, causing laughter to ripple around the table.
His grin widens, and the tension eases slightly as we all fall into a rhythm of light-hearted banter.
As I look around the restaurant, I notice all the girls staring at Knox.
The girls were all on high alert, readying themselves in case he turned around and caught their gaze. Even those who appeared to be on dates or with their boyfriends. I finished my dessert, savoring the last bite. It was exactly what I needed.
We rose from our seats, paid the bill, and made our way out,not before everyone’s eyes were drawn to Knox, who was trailing behind me. I felt his hand gently squeeze my waist.
I knew I’d have to talk to him about this. It wasn’t okay that he’d come in and disrupted my date with Wes. My anger had simmered down, but I was still irked.
With Wes’s assistance, I climbed back into his car. We told everyone we’d meet them back at the house.
We were driving far behind Kyle, and I had a hunch he was doing it intentionally to extend the ride back as much as possible. My suspicion was confirmed when he took a turn that led us in a different direction.
I shot him a curious look, only to see him grinning at the road ahead.
“Yep, I’m getting some alone time with you, sweetheart. Minus Carter,” he smirked, his eyes meeting mine. He steered the car down a road that turned into a small, inclined dirt path.
We were welcomed by rows of trees on either side of the off-beaten road. As we ascended, he parked the car. We were on the side of a mountain, and the sun was about to set.
“Wow, it’s... beautiful,” I was captivated by the sunset’s color palette. As always. We got out and sat on the hood of the car, leaning against the windshield. His arm was loosely draped around my shoulders as we watched the sun descend.
We sat there in silence, undisturbed, as we watched the sun dip below the horizon. Minutes later, we were enveloped in complete darkness, the sound of crickets from the field below us the only noise.
I felt Wes plant a kiss on my cheek. I turned to look at him, his deep brown eyes staring back at me. We smiled at each other, and he leaned further into me, placing a soft kiss on my lips. Our eyes instinctively closed, but the kiss didn’t deepen.
His hand on my shoulder moved closer to the back of my head, cradling it. I moved closer to him, my hand trailing up his chest. I liked this kiss. But it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the same because he wasn’t Knox.
Pulling away, I slowly opened my eyes, only to feel him kiss my forehead. “It started bad but ended much better,” he whispered into the cold darkness that surrounded us.
I snorted loudly, “It was a train wreck at the start, but you made up for it.” We stayed there for a while longer, sharing light kisses that lifted our spirits with each one.
“I don’t want to leave here, it’s so peaceful,” I said, my eyes wandering over the surroundings behind him.
“I could stay here with you all night, but Kyle will kill me when I bring you back. Speaking of which, we should head back soon. But can I have one more kiss?”
I nodded, and he leaned back into me, kissing me while cupping both hands around my face. His tongue found its way into my mouth, and I playfully fought him for control.
I felt a smile creeping onto his face, which made me smile too. After one last peck, we pulled apart.
As we approached the house, I saw the boys waiting outside on the porch. They stood up immediately when the car came into view. Kyle looked furious, and so did Knox and Brett.
