Page 82 of Drop Three

The strange flutters return with a vengeance, and I take this still moment between us to admire her natural beauty while she cleans me up. The light dusting of freckles that cover her face brightens the light color of her skin. You’d think freckles would disguise her beauty, but they only enhance it, making the softness of her complexion mesmerizing.

I feel weak at the exposure of her natural beauty.

I long to touch her. To drag my thumb across her delicate cheek and feather kisses across her skin, watching as goosebumps from my touch flood her body with passion.

The thought of her lips ghosting mine sounds just as heavenly.

“You are breathtaking,” I tell her, and I mean it.

I’m not ashamed of my admission. Navy deserves to be told how stunning and devastating she is every day of her existence.

Whether she’s mine or not, I’ll continue to tell her until my last breath.

Let another man tell me I can’t.

Navy pauses as she closes her eyes and soaks in my words. I’ll continue my affirmations if that’s what she needs.

I want her to feel adored.

But that’s all I can offer. She’s my friend. My friend who I’m almost positive I’m in love with and stand no chance at a future with.

“You can’t say things like that to me.” Her green orbs remain closed, giving me a glimpse of her long lashes complimented by her freckles.

“Why’s that?” I whisper.

The bandage is on my skin, it has been for minutes now. No further treatment is needed, yet neither of us makes a point to move.

“Because it confuses me,” Navy says as she slowly opens her eyes to look into mine, “and it hurts.”

My face softens at the heaviness of her openly sharing the pain I’ve caused her.

I hate myself for it. But she couldn’t know it was all a lie. It’s the only way I can protect her, and myself, from ruining our relationship with Cal.

I nod solemnly.

“If there’s never a chance between us, you need to let me get over you,” Navy admits in one last devastating blow.

Mhm.That’s not what any man wants to hear. “I won’t lie and say it’s for the best, Navy—because it’s not. But I get it.”

She nods. “So you’ll give me some space? Let me move on from you on my terms. You can’t keep cornering me like this, Bodhi.”

I smirk. “Now, I wouldn’t go that far, terremoto.” I trace the bottom of her pink lip with my thumb.

Navy grabs my wrist before I can pull it away. “Why do you keep calling me that? What does it mean?” she asks sternly.

“It means little earthquake.”

Her eyes question me, and I can see the definition surprised her. “Meaning…”

Wouldn’t she like to know?I pull back slightly, putting a good distance between us. “If I told you, that would be the opposite of giving you space. I wouldn’t want you to fall in love with me, Navy. You’re trying to get over me, remember?”

I’m teasing her and it’s working.

Navy is similar to me in every way—we want what we can’t have. It’s a never-ending battle within ourselves to refrain from taking it and carrying on.

“Right, noted,” she says. “Well, I should get going. I’ve got plans.”

“Have a good time. You deserve it.”

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