Page 107 of Off Limits

When Chelsea pulls away, she opens her mouth to say something, but I raise my free hand to cut her off.

“I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“We’re going to stay here tonight.” Lochlyn speaks firmly, not allowing any room for Chelsea to argue. He hasn’t slept here at all yet.

“Yeah, okay, that’s fine.”

I turn around to look at him. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “I think you need both of us right now.” The way he sees me, knows me, understands me, will never cease to amaze me.

I smile as the tears threaten to fall again. Shaking my head, I chase them away. I hate being a blubbering mess, though; it’s always happened a lot in Lochlyn’s presence. It’s something to do with the comfort I feel with him and how I can truly be myself.

Lochlyn closes up all the books on my bed, making a stack and putting them on my desk. He kicks off his shoes and climbs up, putting my pillows in the corner against the wall, leaning back and opening his arms to me.

Without hesitation or any exchange of words, I climb up and curl into him. “Let’s watch a movie or something, yeah?” He wants to distract me. I nod, unable to find my voice. Chelsea hands him the remote immediately.

If she’s at all uncomfortable with Lochlyn planning to stay, or the fact that his hand is comfortably in my back pocket, she knows better than to mention it.

I’m asleep before he even picks a movie.

When I wake up, it’s dark outside. I shake as Lochlyn chuckles beneath me.The Officeis on in the background—my favorite show. My stomach grumbles at the smell of Chinese food. I sit up slowly as Lochlyn slides his hand to my lower back, sitting up himself.

“Hey, baby. How’d you sleep?”

“Fine, I think. Sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off.” Grogginess slurs my words, and my eyelids are still weighed down.

“Don’t apologize, you’re fine.”

“We got Chinese food!” Chelsea perks up behind me. I’d almost forgotten she was here when I fell asleep.

“It smells good. I’m actually pretty hungry.”

“All right, let’s eat.”

Chelsea grabs sodas from the fridge and passes out the food. Lochlyn and I sit on my bed, our backs against the wall, while Chelsea sits on hers, facing us. We eat quietly; the only sounds being from the show and the scraping of forks and cans being set down on the wood of the bedframe. I’m feeling awkward, knowing their eyes are on me, worried.

“Thanks for getting food, guys.”

“You’re welcome,” they say in unison. Chelsea had to have handled ordering and getting it from downstairs, but Lochlyn likely insisted on paying.

I glance at the TV and can tell we’re almost in season two of the show. I’ve been asleep for at least two hours.

Lochlyn sighs heavily next to me but doesn’t say anything.

I turn to him to find he’s looking at his food, mouth tight. “What? Just spit it out.”

“Do you want to go home? Do you want to be home tomorrow?” His eyes flip up to meet mine.

Though I haven’t brought it up, I’ve already thought about it. I know if I were to ask, Lochlyn would drive me home, spend the night with me, and drive me back to school the next morning. Four hours each way and he wouldn’t think twice or complain. He’d do it because he’d be doing it for me.

“No, I don’t want to be home.”

“But…What about your mom?” Chelsea either figured it out, or they talked while I slept.

I slowly release the breath I’ve been holding for days. “My mom. You know, I love her, she’s my mom, but I think it’s time she learns how to cope on her own. I put my whole life on hold for her. She was so bitter about the loss of my dad she asked me to put off my dream of being here, told me to give up on love. I’ve barely seen her for almost two years. No, this is where I want to be. And you’re who I want to be with. I need to do things for myself.”

Chelsea nods and gives me a tight smile, while Lochlyn kisses my temple.

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