“Ember, I miss having someone to talk to,” I admit. “And I hate that things have been weird, but it hasn’t changed the fact that you’re the first person I want to talk to when things get complicated. And with my dad—"
I can’t bring myself to say it.
“I was so happy you were hiding out in my room because deep down, it was you I wanted to talk to about it. How weird is that?”
“Declan—”
“I mean, you hated me, and suddenly you were the person I wanted to tell things to. You were a person who trusted me with secrets of your own.”
“And soon you’ll find someone else to tell all your secrets to,” she says. “You don’t need me.”
“Ember—”
“I mean, Mollie, she’s the type of girl a guy like you should be with.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” she groans like she can’t figure out the right words. “It means that I’m not good enough for you.”
How did we go from flirting just minutes ago to this?
“Declan, that kiss would’ve been a mistake because you deserve so much more.”
“I—”
“I’m not done.” She holds a finger up toshushme. “We both know I don’t like being the center of attention, Declan, and you’re practically the center of everything on this campus. You never really wanted to kiss me; we were just caught up in our emotions.”
She finishes her beer like she needs some liquid courage to get through the rest.
“We were caught up in a moment, and that moment ended. And I’d really like for this conversation to end too.”
This time when she laughs, it seems forced.
“Okay,” I respond. “But you should know you’re wrong.”
“About which part?”
“All of it.”
She looks away from me as I step forward; if I move any closer, I’ll be standing between her legs.
“The kiss wasn’t a mistake. I wanted to kiss you.”
She keeps her eyes anywhere but on mine, and I can hear the uneven rhythm of her breathing.
“And it wasn’t just a fleeting moment because—”
I hesitantly grab her chin to turn her face toward mine; her lips part like she’s ready to protest, but I smile—
“I still do.”
twenty
Ember
Istill do. The words replay in my head like my brain is trying to catch up to what’s happening. Which isn’t hard because now Declan’s standing in front of me, his hands resting on the counter, trapping me in. And he’s telling mehe wants to kiss me.
He’s telling me exactly what he wants. Exactly how he feels, and he’s never looked sexier.
