Page 79 of Let's Be Forever

“Fuck you.” I get choked up. “You haven’t called me that in…forever.” I hated the nickname when we were kids, but by the time it grew on me, it was too late. “Love you too.”

She draws back, cracking a small smile, but then it casts down. “Are you sure you want to go out with him?”

I frown, more than a little confused by her question. “Yeah. Why?”

Her mouth parts, but it snaps shut.

“Don’t hold back. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She twists her body fully to face me. “I know you said you were done with Sylas, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes it feels like you’re fighting against everything you want. I see the way you look at him?—”

“I don’t look at him.”

“I could sit here and list all the things you do, but I won’t.” She groans, rolling her eyes. “You know what you want, Anna, but you’re not allowing yourself to have it.”

I feel defensive and annoyed because she’s not wrong. She knows me well. “I can deal with a lot of things, but I can’tdeal with another heartbreak. He walked away and I couldn’t stop it.” My heart crawls up my throat and gets stuck there. “What if I give him another chance and he does it again? What if his parents get in between us? What if…There are so many what-ifs. I’m playing it safe with Jackson. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m just trying to move on, and I will.”

“I know I’ve already said this, but you look amazing. I can’t get over it,” Jackson says over the loud music, eyes sweeping over me appreciatively and lingering where my dress falls well above mid-thigh.

We came straight to Neptune after dinner, and we’ve been here for an hour now. It’s been fun—sort of. We drank, danced, talked, and laughed. He hasn’t held back on flirting and grabbing me. I’ve let him, but I don’t feel anything.

My brain is fixated on Sylas. I can’t stop comparing Jackson to him—everything he does, how he does it, how he speaks because he has that stupid accent and Jackson’s is just…yeah.

I wonder what he’s doing. I saw him this morning before I left for work. He had a yogurt parfait ready for me—every morning he has something for me. I’ve told him to stop, but he’s intent on feeding me, staring at me like he can’t get enough of me, and?—

I take a sip of my drink, letting it numb my senses, and thank him for the compliment.

Jackson plants a hand on my hip, and his gaze settles on my cleavage. “Let me know when you’re ready to get back out there.”

I don’t know how to tell him that I’m ready to leave, that I’m not feeling this, and despite how hard I try, I think I suck at flirting. My words are so dry, even when he touches me, I’m not reacting to it the way I know he wants me to. If he senses it, he doesn’t seem to mind, but my best bet is that he doesn’t.

“Yeah, let me go to the restroom first.” I force a smile and slip away from him, then weave through the crowd.

The moment I enter it, I check my reflection in the long mirror. Sometimes I feel self-conscious, but not today. Today I feel really good. But I hate that this doesn’t feel like enough, that my body and brain are refusing to enjoy the time I’m spending with Jackson.

Knowing I’ve been in here long enough, I step outside, but I’ve only taken a few steps when someone grabs my wrist and steers me down the hall.

“Hey! Let go!” I jerk my hand away, ready to punch the person, but my fisted hand loosens when I realize who it is. “Sylas? What the hell? You scared me, you fucking asshole!”

My heart both thunders and bolts for him. This is getting ridiculous.

“Yeah, I’m about to be the biggest asshole you’ve ever met. Leave him.” His jaw tics.

I scoff. “I’ll see you at home.” I try to walk around him, but he blocks my path, standing in front of me. “Move.”

“Anna.” He stalks forward, invading my space, and I step back until my shoulders hit the wall. “I’m not going home without you.”

“You’re going to have to because I’m on a date. So get out of my way,” I demand, but the words lack conviction, and I think he knows.

He places one hand on the wall next to my head, while the other lingers close to mine. He smirks and leans down, hismouth close to my ear. “Okay, enjoy your date. When you’re ready to leave, let me know.”

I laugh, tipping my head back to look up at him, but it cuts short as I notice just how close our mouths are. “I’m not leaving with you.”

“Yeah?” I hear the challenge in his gruff voice.

“Yeah.”

“We’ll see about that.” His hardened gaze sweeps down my body, leaving a scorching path. I pathetically squeeze my thighs together, relishing how he looks at me, how his jaw clenches, how he wets his lips.