Page 19 of Uniquely in Love

“Hm?”

“Can I…” He swallowed. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

I’d never been kissed before. But Iwantedhim to kiss me. Even if this didn’t last, him being my first kiss felt special. Owen and I were friends. And now we weremore.

He held my face with his hand, leaning in and pressing his lips to mine. Soft and warm and…perfect. It wasn’t more than a soft kiss. No tongue—though I wasn’t sure I was ready for that, anyway.

We pulled apart, and I blushed, holding my cheeks in my hand.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, his voice sounding deeper than before.

I nodded, and we ate as the sun set, enjoying the view as I snuggled into his side, feeling like there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.

And no one else I’d rather be there with.

SEVEN

Ellie

NOW

In between my legs was deliciously sore, and as I turned over, reaching for the man who had fallen asleep at my side.

But the bed was empty.Cold. The sheets were pulled back up, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he hadn’t stayed. I knew what we’d promised each other. One last night. But the disappointment coursing through me… that was a surprise. Because no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I’d never really moved on from him. We were like two magnets who couldn’t stay away from each other. The gravitational pull I felt towards him was immense. Unavoidable, yet devastating.

Because he wasn’t mine. This was all we’d ever have.

A piece of paper on my nightstand caught my eye, and I sat up, grabbing it.

I wish things were different. - O

Maybe that was what broke me. The note in his sloppy handwriting and him disappearing without even a goodbye.

I probably deserved it. I’d done the same thing to himyears ago, after all. Except I’d ended things completely. With one note, I’d destroyed everything we had.

“Ellie?” Penelope’s voice came through the apartment.

“In here,” I croaked, crumpling up the note in my hand.

A few seconds later, my best friend opened the door, catching sight of me sitting in bed. I probably looked like a wreck, especially after all the sex last night. Meanwhile, she was wearing a pair of running shorts with a workout shirt, her curly red hair pulled up into a ponytail, like she’d just been out for a run.

Meanwhile, I was wearing a giant t-shirt and a pair of panties I’d pulled on before we’d fallen asleep together, post another round ofamazingsex.

“Oh, El.” Her voice was soft. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “N-no.”

Kicking off her shoes, she climbed onto my bed, pulling me into her arms. I cried onto her shoulder, not caring about how pathetic I was right now. “I made a mistake.”

There was probably snot on her shirt, but she didn’t seem to care. Penelope rubbed a hand down my back. “By sleeping with him?” she prompted. So she had known where her older brother had spent the night. I would have been embarrassed if I hadn’t been crying. We talked about a lot of things, but never sex with her brother. It’s not like we’d had much to talk about, anyway.

“No.” I sniffled. “Letting him go.” I opened my fist, his note still in my hand. “It’s over.” He was probably back in Seattle by now. “For good now, I guess.” It hadbeenover. So why was I so upset? Why did this feel like my entire foundation had crumbled underneath me?

“Oh, babe.” She hugged me tighter. “It’s going to be okay.”

I was blubbering, and I could barely even get the words out. “I know what I told him. It was just supposed to be one night. It was my idea.But?—”

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