Page 54 of Come Here and Kiss Me

“Someone’s here for you.”

It’s only then I see who she’s talking about. There in front of my eyes is the man I least expect to see.I don’t even know what to think of him right now. I… I don’t trust him or anything that’s happening.

“I’m assuming she told you the truth?” Ronan questions, gesturing to Aspen.

“No, what?” Aspen does a shit job at lying.

His expression hardens.

“Yes, but don’t worry. I won’t say a word to anyone. You can trust me.”

He eyes her skeptically for a moment before he glances over at me. “You okay?”

“Did you come to check on me?”

“What did you think I would do?”

“How did you know where I was?”

He lifts his phone, reminding me of the tracker he put on mine.

“You’re stalking me again?”

He smirks. “I call it protection.”

I pick at my nails as Aspen asks if she should leave.

“No,” I answer immediately, shutting down whatever Ro was going to say.

I’ve never felt so nervous, and I can’t even pinpoint exactly why I can’t shake these overwhelming feelings.

“You’re tired. Let's go home,” Ro says, but I don’t look up at him.

“Aspen said I can sleep here.” That’s my only answer for him right now because I need space.And I freaking hope that she doesn’t mind I just lied… I also hope I can crash here. I don’t want to go back with him. I need space.

I need to think straight, and I can’t do it when he’s around me. I also can’t tell him that. It hurts too much to even acknowledge the thoughts in my head.

It doesn’t make sense that he was edited out. It just doesn’t.

In my periphery, I watch him take off his leather jacket. Glancing at Aspen, I will her to look at me, but she doesn’t. She looks away like she’s not sure what’s best.

And fuck, I don’t know either.

I’ve never been so lost. I’ve never felt this low before. Like the hits just don’t stop, and I can’t help the feeling that it will get worse and I’ll be the only one left destroyed.

CHAPTER20

Ronan

“Ican’t shake the thought that she thinks I did it,” I say out loud although I don’t mean to.

Gerald shrugs, and the whiskey in his tumbler jostles to the point of almost spilling over the edge and onto his shirt. Gerald’s place is filled with nothing but ambience. He’s single and an eternal bachelor. His place reflects that too. Everything is black or gray, with no color anywhere.

The football game from yesterday plays in the background. He vaguely watches it. Drunk as fuck in his penthouse. I imagine he'd be passed out by now if I didn’t stumble in at one o’clock after Brook fell asleep at Aspen’s.

She barely looked at me.

Barely spoke to me.

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