Page 8 of The Bittersweet Bond

She had laughed it off in the moment, but later that evening, when she was alone, those words had replayed over and over in her head.

Maybe that was why, even now, she still second-guessed herself around him.

Maybe that was why she hated that she cared at all.

She pushed that thought aside. Tonight, she didn’t want to think about tomorrow.

Evin was already planning to go to the party with her friends, Milka and Hannah, one of the biggest events of the year. Everyone would be there.

As she typed her next message, her tongue brushed over her lips absentmindedly.

Evin

You’re making me curious… How about you show me tomorrow at the party?

Bas

Let’s see… but what if I don’t want you around other guys at the party?

Evin

Jealous, Bas? That’s new.

Bas

Maybe I don’t want to share you. What if I want you all tomyself?

Evin

Possessive much?

Bas

Maybe I am.

I just don’t like the idea of someone else thinking they have a chance with you.

That’s all.

What the hell did he really want from her?

She knew she had asked herself that question too many times, but the answer was never clear.

She often suspected that Bas just wanted to keep her on a leash, never letting her stray too far, always making sure she could never truly get over him.

“You have no idea what you do to me.”

“One day you’ll stop running.”

“You already want it. You just won’t admit it yet.”

Lines like that he’d say to her over and over again. At parties, in class, in the hallway, or somewhere out on the school yard. Sometimes he’d whisper them in her ear, other times he’d throw them out like a challenge—seductive, playful, teasing. And sometimes so honest it hurt.

At times, she questioned whether he truly understood what he was asking of her.

He constantly desired exclusivity, yet never offered anything substantial in return.

And Bas knew she was still a virgin, had never done more than kiss, even though there had been chances.

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