Whoops.
I lock it for good measure.
There’s still condensation in the bathroom, so he probably showered before he went out and got us breakfast, and I don’t know how to feel about him feeling so at home here.
“Did you sleep all right?” he calls from the other side, muffled. I sigh, taking a sip of the coffee. It’s too strong and bitter. I set it on the counter and turn on the shower. “You got any plans today?” he tries again when I don’t answer.
Fuck, he’sclingy.
I step under the hot spray, letting the water run over me, washing away the remnants of makeup, glitter, and his scent, which clings stubbornly to my skin. The steam fills the small bathroom, the scent of my candy-sweet body wash mixing with it, and I inhale deeply, closing my eyes as I try to shake off the fog of sleep and the headache throbbing in my skull.
Thoroughly scrubbed, I step out of the shower and grab a towel, slowly drying off. I glance at my reflection in the mirror—blank-eyed, naked, and stripped of all that usually armors me. The rawness of it makes me think of Rosalee, and before I can stop myself, I whisper to her, “I fucked up, didn’t I?”
Of course, she doesn’t answer because it’s just me.
I dread facing Hottie and having to kick him out. I thought maybe I could keep him around for when I need to get off, but if he were that type, he’d be gone by now, not waiting outside my bathroom door with fucking breakfast.
He shifts outside the door, then he tries again, “Do you like croissants? I didn’t know how you take your coffee. It’s black, but I have sugar and cream out here if you need them.” Not answering, I focus on brushing my teeth instead. He doesn’t seem to care, though, because he keeps talking. “The croissants are pretty good. I got them from the bakery before you head into Chinatown, you know, that big pink one?” His voice is a low hum through the door as I finish and move on to brushing out my damp hair. “It’s only a couple minutes from the sushi spot I’m kind of addicted to.” I run a comb through my hair when his tone shifts, becoming softer. “I’d love to take you some time. I mean, if you eat fish. Do you like sushi?”
That’s enough.
Putting the comb down, I unlock and pull open the bathroom door, which he seems to have been sitting against. He falls backward, his back hitting the floor as the door swings open. He looks up at me, flat on his back, that stupid grin on his face. “Hey there.”
I stare down at him, my hair still dripping water onto the floor, my towel barely clinging to my body. He doesn’t move, lying there, grinning like an idiot, and I don’t know whether to laugh or kick him out right then and there.
God, he’s cute.
He scrambles to his feet and comes to stand in front of me, his grin faltering for a split second before his eyes go wide. “Wow…” he breathes out. “You’re even more beautiful without all the glitter and gleam. It’s…” his gaze traces over my stripped features, and he swallows before continuing, “… like seeing a star stripped of all the lights around it… pure,beautiful essence.”
Despite the absurdity of his words, I weakena bit.
Ugh.
“Why are you still here?” I ask tiredly and maybe a little blunter than I intended.
He hesitates, then holds up the bag of aforementioned croissants like it’s a peace offering. “I thought we could… I don’t know, eat breakfast. Spend some time together. Maybe talk a bit? I’d like to get to know you more.”
“Why?”
He blinks, looking genuinely confused. “Because… you said we’re friends?”
He says it like a question, and I scoff in answer as I cross my arms. “I never said that.”
Did I?
“You said I’m the closest you have to one. Well, besides Belle.” I open my mouth to argue, but the words stall in my throat, and before I can think of something to say, he steps closer, his brow furrowing as his gaze drops to my shoulder. When he reaches out to touch the burn scar there, his fingers are gentle as they graze over the rough skin. “What happened here?”
I flick my gaze to his fingers on the scar, the reminder of the night that destroyed everything, and the weight of the past crashes down on me so intensely that I can almost smell burned skin.
The utter helplessness as everything I loved was ripped away from me.
I snap my gaze back to his before jerking away from his touch, my chest overwhelmed with grief.
“Don’t touch me,” I almost growl.
He steps back instantly, his eyes wide, his hands up in surrender. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think?—”
“Leave!”
