Page 43 of Love Me

“Yes, well, the feeling is mutual.”

She opens her mouth and closes it. I leave, and outside I can finally breathe again. Thinking walking will calm me, I bypass my car and follow the cobblestone path to Hunter and Mia’s college house.

I pound at their door, and Hunter opens it without a shirt.

“If you have someone here, she has to go,” I say, pushing past him.

“I was just getting ready to shower, not that I need to explain myself to you.”

We heighten the emotions in the other. When it’s good, we ride the high together. When it’s bad, we would set this world on fire to ease the other’s pain.

“I need to focus. I can’t focus in that damn house.”

Hunter sniffs the air, gripping my chin. “You reek of him and of whatever residual bullshit you still feel for him.”

Flimsy threads held me together and any second now they will tear, ripping me apart in the process. My hands tremble, and I fist them at my sides. This is how Mia finds us.

“Can you two ever act normal? Celine’s one step away from starting a fight, and you’ve been fidgety all week, Hunter.”

“We’re our usual selves. You’re in denial that you can live the regular student life,” he says.

She stares him down, but it’s the truth.

“What happened?” Mia asks.

“I need a bit of distance to regroup.”

“Well, I won’t tell our fathers,” she gives.

That leaves Hunter. We both know he should tell on me. That would be my punishment. Him pointing out my training was for shit if I couldn’t handle being in such close proximity to Kaden without him rattling me.

I await my judgment when Hunter digs a finger into my temple. “Focus.”

I nod. “Now, let’s get out of here and shoot some shit.”

“I’ll pass.” Mia’s phone pings with a message, her face beaming.

“Who is that?”

We both eye her, and she swallows.

“A new romance came out today,” she stammers.

We go to his Audi in stiff silence, and he grumbles. “She lied.”

“I know.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Are you going to spy on your twin? That would be fucked up and she wouldn’t forgive us.”

“Says my emotionally charged friend.”

“Fuck off.” But I smile, everything in me calming down.

“Fucking would help. Who knows, maybe you need another dick to forget him.”

“I doubt another dick has healing or magic powers.”

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