Page 72 of Our Secret Moments

You knowhow every rom-com has that time in the story where the main characters have finally broken that barrier that was keeping them apart and they’re seemingly happy and everything is going right for them until it suddenly isn't. We all know it. We’ve seen it done a million times and you’re left screaming at the screen because you know that phase is just that, a phase.

A few months ago, that would piss me off. I’d probably stop watching the film or reading the book all together, trying to save myself from the heartbreak. But experiencing that in real life, you can’t do that. You have to follow it through andhope.You have to see where it goes.

And I can see why characters do that now. Why they ignore every single red flag or overthink what could go wrong. Because this stage is glorious. Mostly because Connor is just a green flag waving at me and I don’t feel like it’s even a stage. It already feels like forever.

After the way Connor looked after me the other day, I realised that he would do anything for me. I realised that he’sgoing to continue to do things for me just because he wants to. Not because I ask him to, or he feels forced to, butjust because.

The only slight, minor, teeny weeny problem is the fact that I’m his sister’s best friend and roommate and I’m also an idiot for inviting him over and Nora is still at home. She’s supposed to be going to rehearsals, but she’s insisting she wants to hang out instead. Out of every day in the week, she wants to choose right now.

Fuck my life.

“Nor,” I press, running my hands down my face as she packs and unpacks her bag on the kitchen counter. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”

“Catherine, we’ve not hung out indays,” she whines. “I feel like a part of me is fading away when you’re not around. It’s like half of my body doesn’t function when we’ve not had an intense gossip session filled with snacks and an episode of New Girl playing in the background. I miss you, Cat.”

A theatre major, this one. An absolute drama queen.

I’ve been trying to subtly hint at her to leave, but she isn’t taking the bait. She’s already late to rehearsal as it is, but this girl loves to talk.

The image that she paints of our hang out sessions does tug at my heart a little. I do miss both of my girls. Especially since Elle went back to her parents house early to help for Thanksgiving this Thursday.

“I miss hanging out with you too, Nora, but I don’t want to pull you away from your rehearsals.‘Waitress’is one of your favourites.”

She sighs wistfully at the mention of her favourite musical and the one she is supposed to be rehearsing for right now. “You’re my best friend, Cat. I can miss out on one rehearsal for you.”

I feel the guilt swell in my stomach. That’s the thing about the Bailey’s. They’ll drop everything for their friends and I’m the one lying to her face, withdrawing the fact that I have been hooking up with her brother for the last few weeks.

“Fine,” I say, sighing and her eyes light up.

“Great! I’ll go to Raja’s and get us some snacks,” she suggests, slipping on her coat, referring to the convenience store just across from campus. It’s our go-to for snacks or any emergency essentials and it’s too close not to go to it just for the fun of it. She opens the door, squealing, “I’ll be back in a few.”

I sigh, ready to pull out my phone to text Connor to not bother coming over, but the door opens again. “Did you forget something already, Nor?”

“Yeah, actually.”

I look up, blinking rapidly at the man in front of me. “Connor?”

He shuts the door, shredding the space between us, grabbing my face between his hands and before I can even process it he crushes his lips to mine, making me gasp. His tongue slips into my mouth easily and I almost fall right off the high stool, but it doesn’t matter anyway because the second my hands curl into his shirt, he drags me from the stool, placing me onto the counter, kissing me hard.

I get a second to breathe when he starts to kiss across my neck, his hands finding their way around my back. The skin to skin contact sends a rush of pleasure down to my sex.

“Hi,” he murmurs into my neck, biting me softly. “I missed you.”

“Hi,” I giggle when his stubble tickles my skin, his hands moving higher to the strap of my bra. “It’s been two days since I saw you, Connie.”

“And I’ve been missing you for two whole days,” he whispers. His fingers dance across the seam of my jeans, teasing andretreating as he dips his hands in and then back out again. “Can I take these off?”

I don’t know when I started panting, but I’m suddenly finding it hard to breathe again. “Nora’s going to be back in five minutes.”

“Five minutes?” he asks, pulling my bottom lip into his mouth before releasing it with apop.My legs go weak at the hungry gaze in his eyes as they roam over my body before he looks up into my eyes again. “Funnily enough, that’s the perfect amount of time I’m going to need to have my way with you.”

I tilt my head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I mean returning the favour for what you did for me the other day,” he murmurs, catching my chin between his hands as he lowers his mouth to the shell of my ear. “As hot as it was watching you getting off with my dick stuffed down your throat, it’s only fair that I get on my knees for you too, Catherine.”

“You mean– You want to–” I stumble over my words like a fool when my head rolls back as he kisses across the base of my throat.

“I love it when you’re lost for words,” he mutters between kisses on my skin, “I fucking love it. But as you said, we have five minutes, so maybe we can just skip to the part where I eat you out. How does that sound?”

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