“Well, I think the kissing part is great,” I punched his shoulder, and he chuckled. “And honesty is good. I don’t want any secrets or lies.” My stomach tensed. “You are entitled to keep your past in the past, alright? I’m talking about now. I don’t want any secrets or lies about the present, okay?”
I nodded.
“And in the spirit of honesty, I have something to tell you.”
My hands fisted the hem of my shirt as I waited for him to continue.
“My family is coming to town at the end of the month. Like,everyone.”
Seb.A sharp pain shot through my chest.
Enoch studied my reaction, his fingers gently squeezing my sides.
“That means you’ll need to lay low for the time they’re in town. I’ll make sure to keep you posted on their whereabouts, but we probably shouldn’t see each other while they’re here.”
I nodded slowly, already regretting the fact that he would have to lie to his family for me.
“I feel bad,” I said.
Enoch scrunched his nose with a shake of his head. “No. Don’t be. It’s not like I’m not already lying to them about my ownshit. They don’t know that I have a problem with alcohol. Or that I’m sober now.”
There were no words that I could give him to make the situation any better. And maybe he didn’t want me to anyways. Instead, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. Enoch hummed with contentment against my mouth and his hands dropped down to my ass to pull me closer to his body.
My pulsed spiked. The kissing was good. Really good. But his hands on my body had me wishing I was normal. Wishing I wasn’t afraid he was going to touch me in the wrong place. Wishing I didn’t have to keep him from discovering all the ugly scars on my body.
His hands began sliding up the back of my shirt and I grasped his wrists, pulling his hands back above the fabric.
“Sorry,” he whispered against my mouth. He leaned his head away from mine and I shook my head, pulling his mouth back to mine.
“I didn’t say stop.” He chuckled, the sound vibrating my lips. “Just keep things above my clothes.”
“Okay,” Enoch agreed with a kiss. And this time he didn’t stop. His mouth chased mine with a rhythm that took my breath away. And for a moment I let myself believe that we would never end.
Nineteen
July 10, Friday
Emory
I rubbed my burning eyes, leaning back in my office chair. I sat up with a start at the sound of knocking on my half-open door.
I gestured for Lottie to come inside, and she sauntered in, taking a leisurely position in the chair opposite my desk.
“You okay?” Her brows furrowed as she inspected my face.
I clenched my jaw, reaching into my drawer to retrieve my eye drops.
“Yeah,” I muttered towards the ceiling as I tipped my head back and squeezed three drops into the corner of each of my eyes.
“Have you tried the blue light glasses I got you?”
I winced, patting the leaking eye drops from my cheeks. “No. I’ve got prescription glasses but wearing them gives me a migraine and makes my eyes hurt.”
Her mouth twisted in thought, “Maybe it’s the wrong prescription? The blue light glasses shouldn’t hurt your eyes, they might help.”
I shrugged, “Yeah. Okay. I’ll try them.”
She smiled with satisfaction and leaned forward to adjust the name plate on my desk.
