Page 171 of Composed
A wet laugh sits on my tongue. “You never could figure out the world map, huh?”
“Nope.” He brushes his lips over mine.
I soak him in, the warmth curling off his frame, the sweetness of his lips.
“Talk to me, Rixie. Please.” He grips my chin between a tattooed thumb and forefinger and forces my gaze to his. “I can’t fix us if I don’t know what the hell I’m fixing or why.”
I chew my cheek.
I wish I knew how to tell him it isn’t us that needs fixing. It’sme. All these broken, jagged pieces I’ve been carting around for twenty years. The guilt of simply existing.
Saint told me once Cole wasn’t as jaded as us because he’s never had to be. He’s never had to toughen up and build walls to keep everything locked tight inside him.
So how then, do you tell a person who’s only ever known love and joy that the world isn’t as beautiful as he sees it?
The simple fact is youdon’t.
“Is everyone mad at me?” I ask.
His breath coasts over my cheeks as he exhales sharply. “No. Nobody’s mad, baby. Just worried. You’ve never disappeared like that.”
My eyes burn. “I really am sorry.”
“I know,” he says, his thumb swiping over my lower lip. “Just don’t do it again, okay? You need to run away, you tell one of us. You tellme, so I can run away with you.”
I force a small smile to my lips. “You can’t run away, Rock Star. You’re about to become a world-wide sensation.”
“You have too much faith in me.” He smirks, but it’s tinged with sorrow.
“Never.” I shake my head, fighting the waves of emotions swirling inside me. “You were born to shine.”
He chuckles. “You sound like my mum.”
“Always said Sandra was a smart lady,” I step back and glance at the clock on the wall as it ticks down slowly to morning. “When do you have to go?"
He follows my gaze. “Not for a bit.”
“You wanna play hooky with me?”
“Rixie Moore, I’ll play hooky with you for the rest of my life,” he says, cupping his hands around my hips and pulling me tight to his chest. I throw my arms around his back. He presses his chin to my head, and sighs. “All you have to do is ask.”
I close my eyes, fighting the urge to do just that.
Chapter fifty-four
Cole • Now
Thriller – Fall Out Boy
Thescentofsizzlingfajitas fills my kitchen as Axel shoves through the front door.
Hendrix has gone all out for her first dinner.
I told her we could just order in. It’s not like the rest of us bother cooking. Can’t remember the last time anyone stepped foot in a kitchen at one of our weekly dinners.
It stopped being about the food a long time ago.
Now, it’s just another excuse to cram into someone’s flat and hang out. Between studio time, movie nights, and dinners, we’re together more than we’re not.
