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I close my eyes, my forehead touching hers because I can’t seem to let go. Not yet.

We don’t say anything. The only sound filling the room is the sound of our hectic breathing and drum of the blood in our veins.

Slowly, I open my eyes and find her staring at me. Her chocolate eyes are even darker than before and golden dots in her irises shine with need. Hunger. Passion.

“I think it’s best if I get going,” I murmur quietly. “I promised my Mom I wouldn’t stay out long.”

That makes her look at the clock standing on the wall, and she all but jumps off the couch. “Yeah, that would be the best,” she agrees, starting to gather empty cans of soda and chips bag.

Ace wakes up, yawns, and looks around. I slowly remove Lola from my side and get up. While she’s not looking, I rearrange myself before taking one step closer to Amelia. My hands find their way to her waist, and I pull her to me, kissing her exposed neck.

“Here, put your number in.” I take the phone out of my pocket and push it into her hand.

“Why?”

“Because.”

She gives me a warning look over her shoulder, but starts typing anyway. I take it out as soon as she finishes and save it.

Moving in front of her, I softly press my lips to her forehead. The only thing I’m capable of doing without jumping her bones.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

Quickly, before I change my mind, I find my way out of her house. I let the Ace on the passenger’s seat and get in the car without delay. I turn it on and go, but not without a backward glance in the review mirror. The front door is closed, but I can see a shadow standing behind the curtain of hallway window.

Only once I’m in front of my own house, I can breathe normally again.

But even that doesn’t help because her scent still lingers all around me, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll leave me soon.

Amelia

Next week, everything returns to how it was before.

There are no more sleepovers in school or truth or dare alcohol games. No more kisses and late night visits. I like it that way.

Iwantit to be that way.

Why am I so frustrated then?

I still see him at school every day. We have all of those classes together so there is no escaping him even if I want to. But he isn’t around all the time nor does he demand my full attention. He didn’t even come to me and try to talk. He didn’t text or call. I don’t even know why he wanted my number in the first place. It’s like nothing out of ordinary happened, like we didn’t stand on the edge of the cliff with the earth shaking beneath our feet until we fell through the thick air, only to fall down and shatter in million tiny pieces.

Maybe I’m the only one that feels this way because he’s acting like he didn’t spend just this last weekend on the couch in my family room watching reruns of Gilmore Girls for hours with our dogs and me curled into his side.

“Why are you frowning?” Brook asks me, waking me up from my dazed mind.

“I’m not frowning,” I object, concentrating on her sitting across from me. But it’s one big fat-ass lie because I can feel creases on my forehead increase.

She lifts her brow at me but doesn’t say a thing. I know that move well. It’s her ‘You know you are only lying to yourself, and I don’t believe you for a second, but I can wait, and I know you’ll eventually spill your beans’ tactic. I hate when she does that, mostly because it’s working.

“He’s been flirting with girls,” I grumble in a low voice. I don’t have to point out who, or even say his name out loud. She knows who I’m talking about. Hell, she’s been looking at me staring at him for days now.

“Doesn’t he do that always?”

Brook is right; he always does that.

Hockey players are a big thing in our school. There is also a baseball and football team, but they aren’t that good. It’s only natural for him to have all of the female attention. Even if he didn’t play any sport, he’s too good looking to not get noticed.

Derek likes the attention he gets, and he uses it to the fullest. He flirts with a different girl every single day, and his hookups at parties are legendary. His paying attention to me is probably that, just another hookup that lasted more than his usual ones.

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