Just before she enters the building, she quickly arches up on her tiptoes and kisses me. It's simple and sweet, but it only makes me want more. I groan as she pulls away and takes a step back.
“Later,” she promises.
My mouth forms into a smirk. “Too long.”
I HAVE A CONFESSION to make—morning people confuse the ever-living fuck out of me. No matter how many times I try to get used to being awake at the ass-crack of dawn, I just can't. Every morning when my alarm goes off at 7:30, I feel like I want to throw it across the room and go back to sleep.
Running my hands over my face, I sit up in bed and grab my phone. A text from Amelia is already waiting for me.
Amelia: Last night was amazing. Round two tonight? ??
I roll my eyes but can't help but smile. And to think this girl had never had sex up until a few weeks ago. I swear, ever since we started sleeping together, she's become insatiable.
Zayn: Only if you promise to be quieter. I swear, Easton must be able to sleep through a bomb if he didn't wake up to you last night. You're going to get us caught.
Getting up from my bed, I grab the towel from the back of my chair and go to take a shower. The hot water is exactly what I need to let off some tension. I turn it to as scorching as I can handle it and just stand under the stream. My skin threatens to burn from the heat, but my muscles relax and everything doesn't seem so bad anymore.
EASTON IS SITTING IN the kitchen when I get down there. These days are the only times Amelia leaves before he does. It sucks because we don't get any time together until after classes are done for the day, but we have to play with the cards we're dealt.
“Morning,” I groan, going over and pouring my own cup of coffee.
He looks over at me and chuckles. “You look like death.”
“I feel like it. I swear, classes before ten in the morning should be illegal.”
The two of us sit at the table, talking about how meeting Kennedy's parents really went. I didn't expect him to tell Amelia the whole story. She's Kennedy's best friend, and I'm sure she's hearing her side of it.
“I don't know,” he murmurs. “I just sometimes get the feeling she's taking this a lot more seriously than I am.”
I shrug. “I can see that. I mean, you like her, right?”
“Yeah, definitely,” he confirms. “I like her a lot. I just don't know if I'm ready for something serious and long-term. The last time I had long-game feelings, I got long-game fucked up.”
His hesitations are understandable. What he and Tessa had was different. Neither one of them tried to define it or make it into something it wasn't, but he still felt it anyway. Not that Tessa is to blame for any of it. She didn't lead him on to believe they were in some kind of marriage-material relationship. The truth of what they were was laid out in front of him. His heart just had other plans.
“I get it,” I tell him. “But I wouldn't worry too much. It seems like she really likes you.”
He throws his head back. “I know. She said it.”
“Said what?”
“It. Those three little words guys tend to avoid as much as possible.”
My eyes widen. “Shit, seriously? What did you say?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. “I told her she's adorable.”
“Ouch,” I wince. “That might be worse than saying thank you.”
“Fuck, I know. But I panicked.”
“Maybe just talk to her,” I suggest. “Tell her where your head is at. She might be a bit more understanding than you think.”
He thinks about it for a second and then nods. “Yeah, you're probably right.”
Getting up from the table, he throws away his newspaper and puts his cup in the sink. I'm still half asleep and trying to wake up when he hums.
“Looks like A