Page 92 of Only You
‘Please, Jack can hold his own. I’m not worried about that.’
Demir held back a laugh, trying to be understanding of her frustration, but it was kind of cute watching her stuff her face like a brat.
Selene chewed quickly, swallowing and placing her fork on the table. ‘We used to check out fighters together all the time,’ she said suddenly. ‘It was our date night. We would get dressed up, watch fights, and would celebrate at a nearby club. Now, he just wants to go out whenever, and I don’t like it.’
She tapped her spoon on the edge of her coffee cup until Demir covered her hand. He made sure not to linger as he took the spoon and hoped she didn’t notice his nervous swallow. ‘You’re going to hate me for asking this and I mean no disrespect by it,’ Demir warned her. He placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward and lowering his voice. ‘Do you think he’s seeing another woman?’
‘What? No! He better not!’
The certainty in her voice stabbed him in the chest as he sat back.
Selene’s eyes widened at her outburst, and she sighed, rubbing her temples. ‘I mean, he’s not that type of guy. He’s very loyal.’
‘Then, you have nothing to worry about. He’ll come back around soon. He adores you.’ The words were forced but true. He saw no point in trying to manipulate Selene’s view of Jack. She was too smart for it, and he was still trying to be a good friend.
‘Speaking of time, the night’s still young, and I’d rather not be in the apartment by myself. Let’s do something else,’ she suggested.
‘Like what?’ She bit her lip, looking around. Demir breathed slowly as he felt the urge to reach out and press his thumb against her bottom lip, releasing it from her teeth. He almost closed his eyes to compose himself. Overnight, what used to be a simple gesture had become torture to him and telling her probably wouldn’t help. She’d either avoid him or worse – do it even more. Her eyes lit up and she leaned forward with an innocent smile, her voice sweet.
‘Mind if I drive?’
His answer was automatic. ‘Yes.’
Eyes narrowed, she scoffed. Something about how quickly the switch happened made him laugh. This girl was the worst… but he liked it.
He let out a loud sigh before holding out his keys. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Ta-da!’ Selene turned the engine off before holding her arms out as much as she could inside the car.
Demir’s grip on his seat loosened finally as he warily looked out the window. ‘We’re by the river,’ he said before looking at her. ‘Are you about to kill me?’
Immediately, her smile disappeared as she sucked her teeth.
‘Boy, stop it. Come on.’ She stepped outside and took a deep breath, soaking in the sight in front of her. A full moon shone in the night sky, revealing the outline of Belle Isle in the distance. Moonlight made the water shimmer and dance. ‘Beautiful, huh?’
Demir followed, joining Selene as she lay across the hood of the car, the leftover heat from the engine providing enough warmth to make her comfortable. ‘Sure,’ he drawled, still on edge.
‘Will you relax?’ She patted the space next to her. ‘No one knows about this place.’ ‘That’s what everyone says until it’s too late.’
‘Well, if some crazy white man wanted to murder me in the middle of the night, he’s already had plenty of chances,’ she told him. ‘My daddy found this place years ago. When I was little, we used to come here every full moon to “get rid of our anger”.’
‘Clearly didn’t help that much.’
But instead of getting irritated, Selene merely laughed. ‘Oh, if you think I’m bad now, you should have seen me back then. I raised hell with my mum every chance I got.’
‘Why?’
She shrugged. ‘She wanted me to be mature, look out for my siblings and help her with the cleaning. I wanted to be a kid. We’ve never been the type to get along.’ Her mind flashed through the arguments she had with her mum as a child. It was disheartening how few good memories she had with her. Even then, most everything was riddled with disagreements… or fear. Her head suddenly felt light, and she reminded herself to breathe. ‘I think my daddy saw his anger in me and wanted to stop it in its track before it was too late.’
‘What would you guys do out here?’
‘Just throw rocks in the water. It was kind of silly looking back but it’s some of the best memories I have of him. Wanna try?’ She didn’t wait for his answer, instead sliding off the hood to grab one of the rocks under her feet. Smooth and flat, it warmed the palm of her hand.
Picturing her nightmare of a biology professor, she flung it as far as she could. The distance was satisfying, the stone disappearing with aplunkbeneath the surface. She picked up another rock, focusing on one frustration or another, and threw it.
After a few more, Demir joined her. She didn’t ask him what he was picturing; her dad had warned her not to.
‘That’s another man’s burden,’ he’d said. ‘You don’t need to be a part of that.’
