Page 48 of The Other Side of Together

“Hey.” My hands circle her waist, my body heat sufficiently burning through the cold, morning air swirling around her. She grins up at me and my lips hover above hers. “Just gonna make sure you brought the lime kind.” I smile as I kiss her slowly.

She stretches against me, and my fingers press into her back, holding her against me until my ribs protest. “Sorry,” I whisper against her lips and my fingers reluctantly ease up. I take off her baseball cap and sunglasses before resting my forehead against hers. “Little sore.”

She closes her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Marcus. I don’t know what I was thinking last night,” she murmurs, her lips brushing mine, her arms draped around my neck. “But there’s no way I could ever stay away from you. Thus, the disguise.”

I curl my toes into the carpet to avoid floating into Mei Land. “Speaking of last night…I think we’re official. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not.”

I lace my fingers through hers and walk backward, pulling her to the couch. Holding my breath, I ease onto it, then tug her down beside me, ignoring my screaming torso as she snuggles closer. “So…maybe we should do some actual talking since our mouths got a little distracted last night. Maybe talk about how we’re gonna make this work without getting jumped every day. I mean, here we are, not at school. Our lips aren’t busy. Yet. And before they get that way, we should talk about what happened.”

She’s silent for a few seconds, my question hanging in the air. “Okay…”

“Why do those guys care we’re together? And were they watching you this morning? Like, are they gonna burst through the door and kill us?” Uncertainty from last night crushes my preoccupation with her lips.

She takes a deep breath and lets it out as a long sigh of surrender. “I made sure no one was around.” She picks at the hem of her jeans. “Nick’s…protective.”

“Ah. Yeah. Kinda.” A lump grows in my chest. “But why? What is he to you? And don’t say nothing because…this,” I lightly pat my taped torso, “isn’t nothing.”

She shakes her head, her eyes grabbing mine, holding on. “He wants there to be something between us, but I don’t. He must have found out about you somehow.”

“So…he’s the jealous type.” Marcus slides a hand lightly over his ribcage. “Checks out. Your parents know?”

She nods.

I raise my eyebrows and wait for words to form. “And they’re cool with the way he treats you?”

She glances around the room. “Not exactly, but…”

“But what?”

“Like I said last night, you and I come from the same neighborhood, but completely different worlds. Our parents worry about different things.” Her jaw is set like she’s not gonna let anything slip out of her mouth.

I lean my head back against the couch. “That is so messed up. No offense, but seriously.”

“Maybe in your world.”

“No. In every world. That’s not okay.” The edge of her words rips open the place I’m storing my anger, leaving the silence jagged. “So, just to clarify: Face Eater’s not your boyfriend. Swear on Buddha.”

“I swear, Marcus. There’s just…a lot of family history, that’s all. If I could tell you everything, I would. But I can’t, and that’s how it has to be. I promise I’ll tell you everything I can.” Her voice is a whisper and I grab her hand, bringing it tomy chest. “And…” she continues, “if we’re going to be together, you can never tell your dad any of this. Or you’ll never see me again.”

Whoa. My head snaps back like she threw a punch. “Seriously? It comes down to that?”

“Yes.”

I let the information sink in, kinda like a blow to the head, then scan the living room before looking at her again. “You part of the mafia or something?”

She throws daggers with her eyes, and I hold up my hands. “Pretty sure Face Eater is, so…” She turns away, looking out the window, and my thoughts stumble over themselves to push out words. “Okay. Whatever. Fine—I’ll let it go for now, but I’d prefer not to fight those guys again, and I just…I don’t want this to sound demanding or anything but if we’re together, I can’t stand the thought of Face Eater kissing you in that family-friendly way anymore. Or punching you. Or touching you in any kind of way. Unless you want him to, and then…whatever. Your choice, but…I just can’t.” I sit forward on the couch, gritting my teeth against the pain as I run my fingers through my hair and talk to the carpet. “I promise not to tell my dad and you promise to stay away from Face Eater.”

She rolls her eyes and looks away, but I turn her face toward mine. “And…promise you’re not playing me. That what happened last night meant something to you…”

Her eyes search my face. “Marcus, I…”

“Because if it didn’t, please—”

“I swear.”

I grab her hand and pull her down the hallway into my room. I shuffle to the windowsill and snatch Buddha. “Swear on him and I won’t ask any more questions for now. You can tell me when you’re ready. If you swear on Buddha, I’m in this thing for good.” I hold Buddha between us, looking down at her. “Like…for good, good. Like…we’ll lie lowuntil we figure out how to be together in a safe, normal way.” She seems so much smaller than when she got here. I tip her chin up and our eyes lock.“You in this thing with me?”

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