Page 136 of Make Me Mean It

“Just tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours.”

My hand comes up automatically, brushing a piece of dark hair away from his eyes, my fingers lingering near his temple.

Theo blinks, confusion cutting through whatever was there before as he stares at me.

“Pretty?”

A breath escapes me, almost a laugh, though there’s too much sitting beneath my ribs for it to sound right.

“You really doubt that?”

Theo shrugs.

It’s supposed to look casual. I know that because everything with Theo is supposed to look casual.

Except his eyes slide away from mine again, and there’s colour creeping slowly up his throat, bleeding into his cheeks.

“Kinda hard not to.”

I stare at him, genuinely not understanding what he’s saying.

Theo fucking Knox doubts that he’s pretty?

I’ve spent weeks trying not to stare at him. Trying not to notice every thing about him. The green of his eyes when he’s amused. The way his lip ring catches the light. The stupid dark hair that’s always falling into his face.

And he thinks I don’t—

Fuck that.

I catch his chin before he can turn any further away, bringing his face back towards mine.

His eyes flick up, and I hold him there.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

The words are out before I can get nervous about them, or decide they’re too much, and once I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop.

“Even before we started—”

I cut myself off, my throat closing around whatever I was about to call this, because I still don’t have a word for it.

But I don’t let go of him.

Can’t.

My thumb brushes along his jaw as I look at him, and the truth of it sits so plainly in front of me that I don’t understand how he can’t see it.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, it hurts, Theo Knox.”

His breath catches, and my chest swells at the sound.

Theo’s eyes flick between mine, searching my face so intently that I realise he’s looking for the joke.

Or the lie.

Something that tells him I don’t mean it.

“Fuck,” he rasps, his hands fisting in my shirt, yanking me forward so quickly I barely have time to catch myself before Theo’s mouth crashes into mine.