Page 62 of Ink & Ambition

Dani lets out a breathy chuckle. “We can’t answer that for you, Mar.”

I lean my head back again with a groan. Squeezing my eyes shut I hope to shut out the demons in my mind.

Sydney rubs my shoulder. “Who do you want to trust?”

Alex. The name echoes in my brain. I open my eyes.

“Alex.”

Sydney whips her head to look at Danika who smiles. “Atta girl.”

A knock sounds on the door, and all three of us whip our heads around. Hesitantly, we tiptoe toward the door, Sydney in frontwho looks in the peephole. Pulling her mouth into a tight smile, she winks at me and then pushes me in front of her.

“Who’s it—”

“Sunshine?”

I draw in a breath. Giggling behind me, the girls walk back toward the living room and go into their respective rooms. Turning back toward the door, I take in a deep, stabilizing inhale.

“Please, sun. I just want to talk. I’m really sorry about before. Just—”

I open the door swiftly, catching Alex entirely by surprise. I’m not sure what my expression says, but Alex seems to sigh in relief just at the fact that I opened the door. We stand there motionless for a few seconds.

Alex runs his hand through his hair. “Can I come in?” He asks nervously.

I nod and switch on the hall light to help guide his way. It flickers as usual and Alex looks up as he walks in, the door closing behind him. He takes a few steps forward until he’s in our living room.

“Listen, let me just—”

I quiet him with a silent finger on my lips. Eying my roommate’s doors, I cock my head toward my bedroom, motioning for him to go in there. He follows my silent instructions, and I shut the door behind us both, leaning back against the knob.

“Sorry, I just know my roommates have a cup wedged between their ear and those doors. We’ll have more privacy in here.”

Alex nods before turning to scope out my room. I’m having deja vu from the time I did the same thing to him a few weeks back. He glances at my bookcase, my closet, his gaze lingering on my unmade bed before he turns around and faces me again.

“I hate the way we left things back there.”

“I do, too.”

“I don’t want you to think that I’m just using you for this prank shit. I’ve actually really grown to appreciate our…friendship.” He hesitates on the word before continuing, “And I just don’t want this dumb bullshit to get in the way of that.”

“I feel the same way.” I keep my replies short, not sure how much I want to reveal in this conversation.

Alex sighs and sits down on my bed. He looks down at his hands as he speaks. “I know you don’t believe me. But I know for a fact that Ryan did the prank. Whether it was him or his house, he was involved somehow and I just—”

“I believe you.”

Alex’s eyes bolt to mine.

“I decided that I want to trust you so…I believe you.”

Alex’s eyes light up as he jumps from the bed and rushes toward me. Grabbing me around the waist, he lifts me up in a huge hug, and I’m a giggling mess laughing in his ear.

“Put me down!” I laugh and he does what I’ve asked but as his hands release my waist, he uses them instead to cup my face on either side. His face is inches from mine, and I hope to god my breath doesn’t reek of pizza and wine. His smell is minty and fresh, as usual.

Alex looks back and forth between my eyes for a few seconds before he dips the tip of his nose to touch mine. “Thank you. Seriously, you don’t know what that means to me.”

I blink, not knowing how to respond. His lips are plump and so so close to mine. Just the slightest movement of my toes and I could be touching his lips with my own. I think he notices that too as his gaze leaves my eyes and looks down at my mouth.

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