He runs a hand through his hair and moves around me towards the front door. He stops, with his hand on the knob but doesn’t turn around.
“Just…I just had to say all that and now I feel better. Sort of. Kind of feel worse, actually, but that’s just because….” His voice trails off and then he’s pulling the door open, and I follow him. Because I can’t just let him leave yet.
I need more time. Just a few seconds, or anything he’ll give me.
“Because why?’
“It’s really none of your business at this point,” he says, striding outside.
“I’ll walk you out,” I say and Emery scoffs.
“Oh Jesus, you can’t help yourself, can you?”
He shivers as the cold wind hits his bare arms and I quickly unzip my sweater and shrug out of it.
“Here,” I say holding it out to him.
Emery stumbles to a stop on the porch and he just stares at the clothing hanging between us.
“Come on, Em. You’re cold. Just take it.” I move toward him and slip the sweater around his shoulders. He blinks slowly at me, quietly putting his arms through the sleeves and I zip him up. My hands rest on the collar, and I can’t quite let go.
I don’t want to let him go.
“Better?” I ask and Emery just breathes deeply.
“Goddamn you,” he mutters and then he’s walking away from me, toward the waiting car.
Yeah.
I made the wrong fucking choice.
Fuck.
CHAPTEREIGHT
EMERY
“Was that him?” Lex asks with a smirk. His silver hair is slicked up in a fauxhawk and he’s wearing black pants, a bright purple band t-shirt, and combat boots. One of his hands is draped casually across the steering wheel as he leans toward me. He pulls his lip ring into his mouth and raises his eyebrows.
“It was him, right? The elusive stepbrother? I recognize him from the coffee shop. God, that man has great taste in drinks.”
Asshole. He can’t just leave it be––thinks that because he’s my only sort-of friend that he gets to pry.
“I get why you’ve been jerking it more often. He’s hot. I get why you cry after too. I would as well. It’s very depressing to have hadthatand now…” he blows on his palm and frowns.
“Shut up,” I mutter, my cheeks flushing crimson. “I’d rather not talk about him.”
“No, I mean, seriously. You should be studied. How have you been around that guy for a year and still haven’t blown him? He walks like it’s ginormous.”
I chew on my nail and peek over at my best friend because yeah, August’s dick is kind of perfect. But I don’t want Lex talking about it. Or even thinking about it. It’s not his. It’s mine. Sort of. Kind of was for a minute.
“Could you just mind your own business for once in your life?”
“How am I supposed to do that when that man exists on Earth. He’s like,” Lex leans back and groans.
I glower at him.
“And he seems so nice. Damn. He even gave you the sweater off his literal back, tucked it over you like he was an eighty-year-old grandma. Made my bitter heart beat a little faster. Kind of makes me believe in humanity again.”