Page 65 of Exes That Puck
Then I see Zeke. He stands across the room looking bruised and on edge. There’s something wrong. His shoulders are tense, and he has dark eyes. It takes everything in me not to go over and ask if he’s okay. But Ava would never let that fly.
“Come with me to the bathroom,” Lola says, appearing at my elbow.
I follow her through the house, still moving to the music. The bathroom line is predictably long, and I’m swaying slightly when I feel someone behind me. Lola looks up, and when I turn around, I see Zeke up close.
His lip is split, and there’s yellow bruising along his jawline.
“What happened?” I ask immediately.
Zeke looks at Lola. “Can I steal her for a moment?”
Lola glances between us. “Really?”
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, following him down the hall. I check over my shoulder to make sure Ava didn’t see us.
He pulls me into an empty bedroom and closes the door.
“Your sister is wild,” I say.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he jokes.
I reach for his face, alcohol making me bold. My body feels warm, and there’s a pulse deep in my belly from being this close to him.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
He grabs my hips, staring at my lips. “No. I’m not okay,” he says, and he sounds serious. “Tell me I’ve been good.”
I search his face, wondering what he means. And then I nod. “You’ve been good.”
“I mean it, Kara. Tell me that I’m not crazy for thinking that...”
I touch his split lip gently. “Thinking what?”
“That you’re just sleeping with me until you find someone new.”
Butterflies explode in my stomach. “Is that what you think is happening?”
He shrugs, then continues, “I just don’t know if I can change. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you and it scares me. You have the power to destroy me, shatter me into a thousand pieces that I don’t think I can put back together, and I...”
I don’t want him to stop. This is what I’ve been waiting for—real feelings instead of anger and accusations.
“What?” I plead.
He shakes his head. “I’m trying so hard, but I don’t know if you’re even noticing. I don’t know if you think I’m even worth it.”
“I had a wise friend tell me something,” I whisper, leaning closer.
“Yeah?” His hands tighten on my hips. I can smell the alcohol on his breath, and I realize that’s where this vulnerable boldness is coming from. He’s a little tipsy.
“Emma told me we could treat this like dating. Instead of all the way in or all the way out, we date.”
A slow smile threatens to take over his face. “And what do you think?”
I shrug. “I think it’s the smartest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He searches my face, holding me tight. “So we go backwards?”
I nod. “We take a few steps back to go ten forward.”
