“We had one night together. You don’t move in with someone after one night!”
I look to Hazel, instantly regretting it. The little shit is going to take his side on this one.
“I mean…it’s not like he’s an actual stranger…”
“Jesus Christ.” I rub my temples. “You people are impossible.”
“I tried to tell her I don’t need to get to know her.” Eli leans on the back of the booth, winking.
“You also kicked me out of the house after we had sex…” I volley back, regretting it the second he cringes.
“Oh my God, Logan. What the fuck?” Hazel’s fists curl on the table top.
“I panicked.” He shoots her a menacing glare, then squats beside the booth, taking my hand in both of his. His eyes don’t leave mine, and the sincerity in that gaze takes my breath away. “You surprised the hell out of me. I wasn’t expecting it to hit so hard, or so fast. But your dad’s right—part of me has always loved you. I don’t know when that turned into being in love with you, probably the moment Ispun around and saw you in that dress at the photo shoot. But I do love you. I am in love with you.”
Chapter 13
Eli
“I can love you both,”I whisper, my voice growing desperate.
I just told Sibyl I’m in love with her, and she’s…staring at me. Her eyes unblinking, growing silvery with tears.
“I can’t replace her,” she finally whispers. Her voice barely audible over the sounds of the diner.
“I’m not asking you to. I don’t want you to be Lara. I want you, Sibyl Massy, just the way you are.”
“I’m scared you’ll change your mind. What if, in six months, you wake up and realize this is not what you wanted?”
“Not gonna happen. I swear to you, it’s not going to happen.”
“But it could! You could hate the way I sleep, or get annoyed at the way I breathe. Or…I don’t know. What if I clip my toenails on the bathroom floor and they stab the bottoms of your feet and you’re constantly having to yell at me for it?”
“Doyou leave toenail clippings on the floor?” Hazel leans forward, her eyeswide.
“Of course not,” Sibyl hisses at her.
“Hazel.” I turn to pin her with a glare. “You wanna fuck off now?”
Hazel scoffs. “I certainly do not.”
“Haze, the cherry pie is good.” Sibyl smiles at her.
“Sibs, I love you, but I do not want pie right now.” Hazel crinkles her nose at us.
“Hazel,” I bark. “Go away.”
“Sheesh, fine. I’m going. Don’t have to get all grumpy about it.” Hazel rolls her eyes at me, slips out of the booth, joins the other tagalongs at the bar, and steals Kellan’s pie.
“Sibyl, relationships are about compromise. It’s not going to be perfect—none of them are. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”
“You and Lara were perfect, though. Your expectations have to be sky-high.”
A laugh bursts out of me. “We were not perfect—at all. We fought all the time. Lara was constantly mad at me for something. We didn’t love each other any less because of it. We chose to work through those problems together.”
“This feels crazy. Doesn’t it feel crazy to you?”
“Yeah, it does. Crazy in a good way. Crazy like I’m the luckiest guy in the world that you’d even want to spend time with me.”
