Page 43 of The Star

“Why’d you bringmehere?” she pushes, but her gaze grows softer as she looks at me.

I roll to my side to face her better. “I come out here when I’m feeling overwhelmed, or just need to get away from the bullshit. You seemed like you could use a break from reality.”

She seems pleased with my answer, her mouth twitching in a little grin. “You’re a nice guy underneath, aren’t you?”

“No.” I curl an eyebrow. “Now lie down and appreciate the gift I’ve given you.”

She laughs, rolling back onto her back to stare at the sky once more.

twenty-two

LOGAN

It’s been a while since we’ve said anything. Carson and I have just been lying in silence, listening to the crashing of the Atlantic ocean against the shore. He’s not wrong; being out here is like letting reality slip away. I’ve run through a lot of subjects in my head in the last however long we’ve been out here.

His presence reminds me that I’m not alone, even in the darkness of the night. It’s…nice.

I have this little flutter in my gut, like I’m going to throw up.Butterflies,I assume.

I need to get some blood flow going, remind myself I’m alive or something. Sitting up, I wrap my arms around my knees as I stare out at the ocean. It’s black, dark blue in the parts that the moon illuminates.

“What’s wrong?” Carson mumbles from where he’s lying in the sand behind me.

“Nothing.” I speak into the night, keeping my gaze on the water.

His hand slides against my back, creating goosebumps on every millimeter he touches. “What’re you thinking?”

I turn to face him, his hand landing in my lap when I spin around on the sand. “I don’t know.”

He sits up with me, moving closer so he can tuck my hair behind my ear. The gesture is so fucking intimate that the butterflies in my stomach start flapping their wings harder. I swallow, then take a deep breath.

“Everything is fucked up.”

He watches the gears turn in my head in silence, letting me speak when I’m ready to.

“I live in Luxington.” I laugh a little under my breath. “And my dad is getting married. And my stepbrother ate me out.”

He chuckles, a husky sound that runs all over my body, but lets me continue.

“I miss my friends, I miss my mom–” My voice cracks, and his hand rubs up my arm to comfort me.

I clear my throat. “I don’t know how I got here.”

“I’m glad you are.”

His words catch me off guard, so I chuckle a little as I meet his gaze. “Except you’ve been trying to get rid of me since I got here.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “Because you’re a kink in the wires.”

“Why’d you barge into my dressing room?” I question, changing the subject.

He shrugs, snapping his mask back into place. “I was horny.”

I hum between my lips. “But you didn’t get off, you just gave me head.”

There’s a twinkle in his eyes before he gives me a mischievous smile. “Want me to do it again?”

“I want to know why you did it,” I deadpan.

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