The man I was in my dreams didn’t need a bottle of wine to get through the day. He wasn’t… this. I wondered what version of me she’d carried in her head. Definitely a better one if it got her to take a chance and come here tonight.
Am I in battle with myself?Ha. No questions there.
“Did you, though?” she said, breaking through my spiral.
“What?”
“Tried?”
Her eyes were still locked on mine. No escape. I’d never felt this vulnerable from a look alone. I wanted to tell her everything.
Because she didn’t know what it had taken to get here, and how I was determined to prove everyone wrong, especially my father. I wanted to show him that acting could be more than some foolish dream. And yeah, I’d succeeded. Meanwhile, my brothers’ football careers had fizzled out mid-college, but their jobs were now “worthwhile,” as he’d always said.
“Real value, real careers.”I could almost hear my father’s voice in my head.
Instead of listening to my gut and saying it all out loud, I, as usual, deflected.
“So, Liam’s a Spider-Man guy, huh? Gotta say, I’m hurt…”
Jules smiled but caught on to my not-so-subtle dodge. “He loves your character too…”
“Don’t lie!” I teased, and we both laughed.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more intoxicating sound than her laughter. It made my body react instinctively in a mix of warmth, contentment, and arousal. But her smile soon faded. Her eyes shifted from something soft to inquisitive, and I knew something was coming. She paused for a second before asking:
“Did you… dream about them, too? My kids, I mean.”
I straightened up, caught off guard. I thought we were avoiding the subject, but here we go.
“Yeah… same names, too.” I paused. I knew it would probably cross her mind, but I wasn’t about to mention that in my dreams, they weren’t justherkids. They wereours. I made an executive decision to spare her the whole truth. To keep it from getting too heavy, and honestly, to spare myself too, to avoid touching on a sore spot. Because the family that lived in my mind was one I grieved every day, one I longed for more than anything in life, even though until today, I thought it was just a figment of my imagination. So I simply added, “But I couldn’t see their faces clearly. Not like yours…”
I let my mind wander about their faces, just for a second, so I wouldn’t spiral. Because she looked exactly like the woman I’d been dreaming about all these years. Every little detail. Her freckles, even the tiny ones right near her hairline, were all so familiar.
Before I could stop myself, my hand moved, fingers brushing her temple and trailing down. I traced my thumb along the faint blush of her cheeks, then down to those soft lips. The ones I’d kissed in my head a thousand times.
That’s all I wanted now, to lean in, kiss her, and let the rest of the world dissolve. But I caught myself and slowly pulled my hand back. No. It wasn’t the time to lose control. I had to remind myself we weren’t some long-standing love story. We’d just met, and if I rushed it, I’d ruin everything.
Jules sensed my restraint. She stood and walked to the edge, staring out at the city, quiet now, its lights dimmed. Her hair tumbled down her back, the red bright against the black of her dress. The dress hugged her in a way that made it impossible for me to stop looking.
“It’s late. I should go…” She murmured.
I couldn’t let her leave. Not now. It felt like my entire body was physically rejecting the idea of her being more than a few steps away. Before I could overthink it, I stood up, and my hands were already on her waist, turning her to face me.
Logic? Out the window. Space? Yeah, right. She’d been straightforward about what she wanted all night, so I trusted she would tell me if this was a no-go.
I brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, my fingers lingering longer than they should have. Then, finally, I leaned in and kissed her. Slow at first, but whatever self-control I’d managed so far snapped as the kiss deepened. My body pressed closer to hers. I was immediately hard, like a damn teenager, and all I could think about was what might happen if we went further.
She broke the kiss. I froze, wondering if I’d gone too far. But she looked up at me.
“There’s a hotel across the street.”
I blinked, the words taking a second to sink in, my mind registering them, but not my body. It was too late. I was totally gone. I didn’t have a single string of control left. She had all the strings now.
“I see…”
Her eyes didn’t waver. “How long would it take for you toget us a room?”
Julesand I stumbled into the hotel room, our mouths locked together like we couldn’t stand to be apart. The door slammed shut behind us, and I reached to lock it without breaking the kiss. Her fingers traveled down my neck and curled into my shirt, pulling me toward the bed, and I let her push me down onto the edge.
