Page 155 of Inside the Sun

But I’m sick of this small talk. I turn toward him, eyeing him intensely.

"What did you want to talk about, Summer?"

He sits on the bed and pats the cover next to him. I watch him for a beat.

"You didn’t bring me here to make out, did you? ‘Cause I’m not into omegas. You’re beautiful, sure. But not my type."

Something shifts on his face, a rare expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. A gentle smile.

"Don’t worry. That’s not what this is about. Besides, if I’m reading things right… you seemed a lot more interested in my brother than in me." He raises an eyebrow quizzically.

I whirl around and walk to the window. It overlooks the outer side, right above the main gate. It’s actually a pretty decent vantage point. He can see all the people coming in and going out.

"That’s in the past," I say through clenched teeth.

Summer doesn’t comment. Instead, he says something unexpected.

"I want you to escape with us."

I let out a flat, bitter laugh.

"You’ve gotta be kidding."

"No."

"I’m not gonna be the reason my entire family gets slaughtered!" I snort, abruptly turning and approaching the aquarium again. The fish seem to observe me too, though they’re surely not impressed by my sour face.

"I might be able to protect them. At least your parents. If I lived in your house, no one would be able to touch them."

Not even turning toward him, I keep chortling. It’s a little unhinged and definitely booze-soaked. My blood’s still fizzing with champagne.

"Riiiiiight! You are funny, Summer." I touch the glass surface, skimming my fingers over it.

"You must think about me the same way your brother does, like I’m some traitorous piece of shit who’d sacrifice my own brothers just to save my ass."

Yeah, I’m being mean to him, but I don’t give a fuck. My time’s up anyway. I’ve got maybe two weeks left, max.

"Yeah, real funny," I repeat, sighing. "I know I look like a cheap whore, a selfish piece of shit, with no morals, focused only on myself, someone who can’t sacrifice anything for anyone. But no matter how hard you guys try to stick the self-centered son of a bitch label on me, I’m not letting it stay. Fuck you all! I’m dying here, period."

I spin around and glare at him, fury pulsing through me.

"I’m the one who fucked up by getting involved with Anzo. Because I wasbored!Can you imagine? And I won’t let anyone in my family pay the price for my shit. Not as long as I have any say in it. So no. Thanks for the invite, but there’s no way in hellI’m leaving, at least as long as there’s a chance that the Ferros might go after my family."

Summer closes his eyes briefly and takes a breath.

"Sun… I’ve never thought of you that way. Quite the opposite, actually. From the first day I met you, I knew you were the only person I could trust completely. I know you’re a good guy. You’ve got a good heart, a pure one—even if something in your past made you shut down. That goodness is still in you, bright, golden, like a seed of the sun itself."

First, I want to laugh again, but it dies in my throat.

"It's not mine. It's… my dad’s, a piece of his soul. I think it lives in me, and it keeps me alive."

We sit in silence for a while before I start to talk. I don’t know why it comes pouring out like this. It makes no sense. What’s the point? And yet, I say it.

"I was in love once. The best two years of my life. Then he got into a fight and killed a man. I lost him, and after that, nothing’s ever been the same. Probably my fault. I simply never let myself heal, never let myself be happy. But I didn’t know how. I think I’m the kind of person who only falls in love once. And that’s it."

Summer doesn’t say anything for a long time. He just watches me.

The room is still. The only sound is the soft bubbling from the aquarium filter. I turn my head and stare at the beautiful fish gliding behind the glass. Their lives seem so simple, so undisturbed.

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