Page 87 of Don't Think

My brows knit together. Wenevergrab a drink before heading upstairs. That’s always been our unspoken rule. No distractions, no scattered thoughts… justus.

The suspicion creeps higher. “Are yousureeverything’s okay?” I ask again, searching his face for anything that might tell me if he’s lying.

He smiles, his eyes locking with mine. “Everything’s always perfect with you,” he says softly.

And just like that, my heart nearly implodes. If I wasn’t so busy internally spiraling, I’d probably be melting into the floor right now.

Then poor Jeremy would have to stop serving drinks to mop me up.

Jax slowly rises from his stool, adjusting his jacket before offering his hand and I slide mine easily into his. He leads us quietly out of the bar, and into the elevator. The anxiety gnaws at my skin while we stand there in silence, our hands still clasped between us, and he gives mine a gentle squeeze.

But when I glance up, I notice somethingelsethat’s wrong about tonight.

The elevator button.

Usually, he presses eleven. That’s ourfloor. Ourroom.

This time, the number fourteen stares back at me.

My eyes snap to his. “Was our normal room not available?” I ask nervously, chewing on the inside of my lip.

He shakes his head, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, but says nothing else.

What the hell is going on?

The elevator doors slowly glide open, and the silence feels heavier, nearly suffocating. I glance up and down the hallway—empty. Not a single soul in sight.

He gives my hand a gentle tug, and I follow, unease curling in my stomach while I realize the plan I thought we had is quickly shifting into something unfamiliar.

Unfamiliar and I are not good friends. At all.

He swipes the keycard at a door marked 14A, and my heart lurches into my throat at the softclickof the lock.

He steps inside, but I don’t. My feet are busy being glued to the floor.

When the lights flick on, I finally move, walking in slowly, and my mouth falls open.

I gesture toward the bed, my gaze flicking to Jax as he stands silently by the sliding doors to the balcony.

“What…” I shake my head, trying to piece everything together. “What is this?”

My eyes drift back to the bed where red rose petals are scattered across the comforter, placed so delicately, so intentionally, it makes me wonder if that’s why he’s acting so funny.

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away, not wanting to ruin whatever this moment is.

He walks toward me and slips both of my hands in his.

“Do you remember the other day at the amusement park?” he asks gently. “When I told you I needed to talk to you?”

I nod, heart thudding all over again. “Yeah… you said it was that you didn’t want to go on any rides.”

He chuckles under his breath. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “That’s… not entirely what it was.”

My brows pinch together, and I narrow my eyes at him, not quite sure where this is going. He takes a small step back, gently tugging me with him until we reach the sliding doors. Then, without a word, he shrugs off his leather jacket and drapes it around my shoulders, his fingers trailing lightly down my arms as he does, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

Then he leans in and presses a soft kiss to my forehead, his eyes meeting mine for a fraction of a second before he tugs the doors open.

Cool night air rushes in, catching my hair and whipping it around my face. I reach up instinctively to smooth it down as he leads me outside.