Page 95 of Veiled

“Already so bossy,” he tsks with affection, and kisses my forehead.

Chapter thirty-five

Annalise

Idon’t know what time it is when I wake up to the gentle sound of my bedroom door shutting.

For a second, I stare at the ceiling, a knot in my stomach growing.

He's gone.

I shouldn’t even be surprised after everything I unloaded on him last night.

The sex was incredible—not a surprise after our first night together—but I’m sure that in the light of day, he realized being with me is more than he bargained for, more drama than I’m worth.

“Sorry, Sweetheart, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

I whip over so fast, both startled by the noise and shocked he’s here. He’s standing by the door in his uniform, hair damp from a shower, holding two coffees from the dining hall.

“You’re here.” The words barely make it out, my voice shaking before I even realize I was on the edge of tears.

“I just got back. I know you meet your friends for breakfast, but I thought you’d earned some coffee while you get ready after all the hard work you put in this morning.” He teases before noticing the single tear that broke free.

Setting the cups down on my nightstand, he crouches beside the bed. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? I’m sorry, I didn’t even think—”

I shake my head, trying and failing to pull myself together. “I thought you left. I thought you realized…”

His expression softens instantly. “Ana.” He reaches up, brushing his thumb across my cheek, catching the tear that betrayed me. “The only thing I realized is that you like your coffee way too sweet. The barista looked at me like I was insane for asking for six pumps of brown sugar syrup.”

“You learned how I like my coffee?”

“It only took the one time of seeing you add more syrup after I made it in Seabrim to know. I didn’t do anything cosmic.”

“Thank you,” I finally whisper.

“It’s only a drink, Honey.”

“Not only for my drink, but for staying.”

He reaches over, his hand finding mine on the blanket. “That’s the easiest thing I’ve done in a long time.”

“Well,” I say, trying for lightness even though my voice still trembles, “I guess you kinda do owe me for hogging the bed all night.”

He exhales a small laugh, relief flickering across his face. “If we were in my room…”

“Nope, forget I said anything,” I rush out, my voice still softer than usual, before taking the biggest gulp of coffee and climbing out of bed. “I told the crew we would meet them at the dining hall for breakfast. I’m actually kind of surprised you didn’t pass Matt. He’s usually there early to make sure we get our table if he isn’t meeting us here.”

“Did Matt have to claim a table as yours because you couldn’t pick where to sit?” He teases, but I ignore him as I walk to the bathroom to get ready.

“So,” I start as we leave my room fifteen minutes later, “since I basically trauma-dumped my entire childhood and psychiatric file on you—”

“You didn’t dump anything—”

“—I think it’s only fair,” I cut him off, lifting my chin, “that you tell me something real about you. You don’t get to be mysterious while I tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. That’s not how this relationship’s going to work.”

He shoots me a sideways glance. “You want the dark secrets?”

“I want all of it,” I correct. “Embarrassing baby pictures, how terrible your first kiss was, and all about the summer you ran around the house naked, other than the towel tied around your neck as you pretended to be Superman.”