Page 58 of Let's Be Forever

“Bullshit!” Jenny and Em shout simultaneously.

“Like I told you, Jen, she’s been so weird lately and even weirder since yesterday,” Em says, and proceeds to explain how I’ve beensupposedlyacting strange.

Since Sylas came back into my life, I don’t know how to…be. Or how to feel for that matter.

What happened to him at his condo, what he said to me on Sunday, and last night’s text messages, it’s been…I don’t know. I didn’t expect any of it.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss him, that there was a time in my life when I didn’t desperately want him back, but the reminder of what happened in his condo is reason enough for us not to ever get back together. And then there’s his parents and knowing he’s probably been with other people.

He has every right to be with whomever he wants, but the awareness stings. I hate that that’s how I feel, how he still has a hold on my heart, but I can’t help it.

I lean against the counter, folding my arms against my chest, debating between sharing or not. “He might have—” They stop talking and stare at me expectantly. I barrel forward before I can change my mind. “He asked me to move in with him after he found out about Joel.”

All hell breaks loose, and they start asking a million questions all at once.

“And,” I cut in, “he might have said he wants me back.”

The questions triple, their voices louder than before. I don’t answer because they’re throwing out so many, I don’t know which to tackle first.

“Well?” Jenny says after they’ve quieted down.

I stare at them, then at my nail that I hadn’t noticed was chipped until now.

“No, I’m not moving in with him. I’m not ever getting back together with him. And that’s all.” I push off the counter and grab my keys and bag from the cubbies. “It’s late and I need to get home.”

Those were the important answers. Everything else is irrelevant.

“You can’t leave now!” Em blocks my path, holding her palm out to prevent me from taking another step. “You can’t just drop that kind of news and not expect us to be curious, because what the hell?”

From her phone, Jenny’s muttering is muffled. Then: “That’s it! I’m calling out of work. I’ll be over?—”

“No, don’t do that.” I chuckle at their insistence and desperation to know more. “Look, I shared with you two because you’re my best friends, but that’s all. We were…” A lump lodges in the middle of my throat as a flashback plays in my head.

The tree should have come down a few weeks ago, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. Along with our decorations, his friends have also added trinkets and ornaments.

At first they thought it was strange that we kept it up considering Christmas was a month ago, but it’s grown on them. Even his sister Thea, who isn’t a fan of the holiday, has added metallic tinsel.

“We’re never taking that down.” Sylas hands me a steaming mug, settling on the sectional next to me with his own and staring at our bright tree.

“Fun. We were…”

“Surprise.” He grins. “I hope you meant it because we’re doing this.”

I’m both nervous and giddy. I told him one of the things on my bucket list was to go sky diving and now we’re here, about to do just that.

“Are you kidding me?” I jump on him, excited that I get to do this with him.

“Spontaneous. We were…”

He pulls out of me and flips me over on my stomach, lifting my ass in the air and pushing my chest to the mattress. He slaps one cheek and then the other—hard. It bounces and burns against his palm. It hurts, but it feels so damn good.

“Goddamn, you’re so easy. I wish you could see yourself dripping on my bed.”

I whimper around the ball gag.

“Spread your legs wider. I know you can.”

I easily oblige, needing him inside me.