“You like him,” Ember said finally. Lillith didn’t deny it because there was no reason to.
“Yeah,” she whispered.
Ember nodded slowly. “Then just be careful.”
“I will,” Lillith promised, even though she wasn’t sure she knew how, because careful had never really been her thing. “I’m going to bed,” she said. “Thanks for the talk, Ember.” She hadn’t had girl talk since her mother died, and it was nice to have another woman to confide in—even if she didn’t know Ember that well. She had a feeling that the two of them were going to be good friends, and that just made her heart happy.
“Night, Lillith,” Ember called after her as she walked up the stairs to her room. Yeah, she was going to like having a big sister in her corner.
Lillith lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sleep—yeah, that wasn’t happening. Not with her mind replaying every second outside that diner like it was on a loop. She remembered the way he said her name, the way he looked at her, and the way he kissed her like he didn’t know how to stop once he started. That all made her stomach flip.
“Seriously?” she muttered, rolling onto her side and grabbing her phone. She shouldn’t text him. She knew she shouldn’t, but her thumb moved anyway.
You’re really bad at goodbyes.
She hit send before she could overthink it, and then immediately groaned and buried her face in the pillow. “Idiot,” she breathed. Her phone buzzed, and she quickly flipped it over.
You’re still thinking about that?
Lillith huffed out a soft laugh.
Kind of hard not to.
Three dots appeared on the screen, and then they were gone. She was about to give up staring at her phone when they reappeared.
You should be asleep.She smiled.
You should be gone.
That one took longer for him to respond to—long enough that she thought maybe she’d pushed too far.
Working on it.
Her chest tightened at the thought of him leaving, because something about that didn’t feel like a joke.
You always run this fast?she typed.
The response came slower this time, like he was thinking about it.
Only when I have to.
Lillith stared at the words and then typed before she could stop herself.
And do you have to?
Her heart started to pound a little harder with every second that passed.
Yeah.
One word, that was it. Lillith swallowed as her fingers tightened around her phone. She could leave it there and let him go. She should be the smart one for once, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen.
That sucks, she sent.
Yeah, it does.
Lillith stared at the screen, something in her chest pulling tight. “Great,” she whispered. “I’m catching feelings for a guy who’s already halfway out the door.” Her phone buzzed again.
Get some sleep, Lillith.She smiled softly to herself.
