Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
A feather turning the path of a hurricane.
He goes sprawling down on the mattress, but catches himself on his arms, his thighs spread wide, his eyes staring up at me, still astonished and slightly horrified.
“So you make yourself at home, all right? And I’ll show you how wild a St. Mary’s girl can be.”
At my words, those eyes of his narrow and he finally gathers his sense enough to growl.
Ha.
That’ll teach him to mess with me.
And tell me false tales and ask me inappropriate questions, and fucking call me a boring good girl.
As I’m turning around to go put on more clothes, I swear I hear him mutter, “Stupid fucking Titanic. The door was totally big enough for two.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Who: The Bubblegum
Where: The second-floor bedroom in the carriage house on the Davidson estate
When: 10:40 PM; one night after the movie night with Reign
Dear Bandit,
You covered me with a blanket.
When you left my bedroom the other night after watching not one but two movies.
Well, partially.
We started out with Titanic and as I’d told you, I did end up crying. On and off throughout the movie. And like a good ex-boyfriend’s ex-best friend, you supplied me with tissues. But I guess at one point you got tired of passing me the tissues and actually offered me your t-shirt.
Not really actually.
As in you didn’t take the t-shirt off and offer it to me, no.
You placed your large hand on the side of my head and made me lean on the tight globe of your shoulder. So I could cry on it and soak the fabric of your t-shirt after all.
You didn’t say one word. Didn’t even look at me. Simply kept your eyes on the screen, your jaw tight, and herded my head toward your body with your warm and strong hand, and I automatically knew what to do. Curl up against you.
It was very shocking.
Actually the fact that it didn’t feel shocking, me crying on your shoulder, was what shocked me the most. The fact that it felt so natural.
Watching a movie with you.
Anyway, when Jack had sunk to the bottom of the ocean despite the door being big enough, I loaded Pride and Prejudice on my laptop. You didn’t say anything and I didn’t take my head off your shoulder.
But of course, I nodded off in the middle of it and the next thing I knew it was morning. And I was under the covers, my head on my pillow rather than on your muscular, summer-scented shoulder. Which means you must’ve put it there, put me there before you left.
You put everything back.
Like it was before you’d come in.
And I know you enough now to know that you did it to protect me.
Because that’s how you are.
Whether you like it or not.
And this is what I am: a good girl.
And whether you like it or not, I’ll protect you too.
~Echo.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Three days later, I’m standing at the edge of yet another party.
Happening at the same place as the last party, in the woods. And it’s probably attended by the same group of people. I think it goes without saying that I don’t like parties. Not at all. I’ve never liked them even when I’d go to them with Lucas. But he was my boyfriend and I wanted to make him happy so I’d go. And the fact that this is like, my third party in only ten days or so, is making me hate them even more.
The only consolation is that he is here with me.
My ex-boyfriend’s ex-best friend.
We stand at the edge of the commotion, surveying the scene.
Or rather he’s surveying the scene, I’m lost in thoughts.
Thoughts of how this is the first time I’m seeing him after the movie night, and that I haven’t even thanked him for putting my room and me to rights. Looking away from the party that I wasn’t paying attention to anyway, I look up at him by my side.
“Thank you.”
He snaps his eyes over at me, a thick frown between his brows.
His bruises have calmed down a bit more, which is good.
What is better is that he doesn’t have any new ones.
Meaning he hasn’t been in any fights lately. It’s still a mystery to me as to why he was in the first one at all but I’m happy nonetheless.
“For the other night,” I explain, when all he does is stare down at me like I’ve lost my mind. “For, uh, getting me under the covers. And you know, putting away my laptop and things before you left.”
I don’t see where the confusion is now that I’ve explained everything.
Or if it is, in fact, confusion that’s making him frown at me still.
“I’m just saying,” I go further. “Because I didn’t. I hadn’t, thanked you I mean.” Then, “The next line is yours. And it’s supposed to be ‘you’re welcome.’”