I shake my head. “No.”
In one fluid move, he lifts me up, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist as he turns and walks us into my bedroom.
Toeing the door closed softly behind us, he flips the lock and stalks quietly across the floor. I’m still clinging to him as he crawls us onto the bed.
When my back hits the mattress, Rowan follows, his body covering mine as his lips find my neck. The weight of him feels perfect, like this is always where he was meant to be.
“Still sure?” he whispers against my skin, seeking permission once again.
The warmth of his breath sends shivers down my spine.
Looking into his eyes, I can see traces of the boy I once knew. But now that boy has become a man, a man who makes my heart race and sets my skin on fire. “Yes,” I breathe. “I’m sure.”
His hands slide under my top, calloused fingers tracing patterns over my skin, making me arch against him. When he tugs it off and over my head, I tremble in anticipation.
Maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me, like I’m something precious. Or maybe it’s the way his hand skims up my stomach to firmly squeeze my breast before brushing a thumb over my nipple. All I know in this moment is that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but right here, right now, with him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, eyes darkening as they take me in.
Normally, I would feel self-conscious, but I don’t. Not with him. Not with the way he’s looking at me like he wants to devour me.
We explore each other slowly, learning what makes the other gasp and moan. His hands are gentle but insistent, until he finally pushes inside me. Pleasure overwhelms the brief flash of pain, quickly bursting into something I’ve never felt before—even on my own.
“God, I missed you, Lizzy,” he murmurs against my lips as he starts to move. “So much.”
And in that moment, I believe him.
“So what happened after?”This comes from Noia, who has shifted to face me, elbows resting on her knees as she rests her chin in her hands. The excitement in her eyes from before is now bordering on feral.
I sigh and look up at the starry sky. “The next couple of weeks were like a whirlwind. We snuck into each other’s rooms every chance we got. We even met up and did it in the treehouse a couple of times.
“It was amazing. Every waking moment he wasn’t hanging out with my brother, he was with me. When we were together it was like we were the only two people in the world,” I say softly, running my finger in circles in the sand.
“Rowan was... attentive. Sweet. Passionate. Everything I’d ever fantasized about. We talked about everything—well, almost everything. We avoided talking about the future. How he was leaving in a couple of weeks. I think somehow we both knew it would break whatever spell we’d woven.”
Old hurt rises up in the center of my chest, and I take a deep, shuddering breath.
“Then one morning when I went downstairs for breakfast, he wasn’t there. He’d always made it downstairs before me. So when I asked my mom where he was… she told me he’d already left.”
My voice catches. “He didn’t say goodbye. Didn’t leave a note. He was just... gone. Again. I kept thinking I should’ve known. But then it dawned on me. When we’d had sex the night before, it felt… different. He wasn’t as present as he usually was. But I brushed it off, knowing we only had a couple of days left to be together. Chalked it up to the possibility of him feeling the same way I did—torn between wanting him to stay and wanting him to go chase his dreams.”
“Oh, Lizzy,” Sasha sighs, bumping my shoulder with hers.
“I kept thinking maybe he would call. Or text.Something. But days turned into weeks, and...” I laugh bitterly with a small shrug. “You want to know the worst part? Turns out my traitor twin of a brother knew all along he planned on leaving early. Logan even drove Rowan to the airport, and didn’t even tell me.”
“There’s got to be a good explanation for him leaving you like that,” Noia says, forehead creased in confusion. “I mean, people don’t just... disappear on someone they care so much about without a good reason.”
I shoot her a look. “Really? Because that’s exactly what he did. He intentionally ghosted me…twice.”
“But maybe?—”
“No way,” Sasha interrupts, shaking her head firmly. “Sure, she knew he was leaving. He even warned her he couldn’t give her more. But after everything Rowan knew about how she reacted to him leaving when they were kids? He should’ve known better. He should have at least given her the common courtesy of saying goodbye.”
“Thank you.” I give Sasha a grateful look.
“Did you ever try reaching out?” Noia asks.
“No,” I admit. “My pride wouldn’t let me. And honestly? I was terrified of what he might say or not say. Or even worse… that he wouldn’t respond at all.”
