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“Fuck no,” he says. “This is exactly how I want to spend all of my time, quite honestly.”
Lex snorts. “I believe it.”
“Perhaps we should all get some actual rest and reconvene tomorrow?” Gabriel suggests.
Calla frowns. “But you guys didn’t… I mean…”
I slide my finger along her jaw, curling it around her chin and tilting it so she’s looking at me. “Tonight was for you.”
She presses her lips together, then opens her mouth.
“Don’t argue with me,” I cut her off. “You won’t win this one.”
Her eyes narrow slightly, and there are several beats of silence before she says, “Fine.”
I grant her a faint smile. “Good girl.”
She bats my hand away, scowling half-heartedly.
Lex leans in and kisses her cheek. “Good night, beautiful.”
Before she can respond, Kade swoops in and covers her mouth with his. “See you soon,” he murmurs to her, getting off the bed and following Lex out of the room. Gabriel joins them a moment later, leaving Calla and I as she gets off the bed, pulling her slip back on, her eyes locked on me.
“What are you thinking?”
She chuckles. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
I cock my head to the side, watching as she sits on the edge of the bed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “There is a lot I’m not sure I can properly articulate tonight, Calla,” I tell her.
“Oh, heavy,” she comments, reaching for my hand and sliding her fingers through mine. Her thumb brushes over my knuckles, and I find myself so taken with that small act that, despite the weight on my shoulders, it brings me a sense of comfort I’m wholly unfamiliar with.
“You should go,” I tell her.
She blinks at me, her eyes searching my face. She hesitates before saying, “Um, okay. Are you all right?”
I shake my head. “What do you mean?”
Surprise flickers across her face. “With everything that’s happened, I—”
“You’re asking aboutme?”
Her brows tug closer together as she holds my gaze. “Why are you surprised by that?”
I drop my gaze, unable to look at her a moment longer with this new kind of pressure in my chest. “Not surprised, just undeserving.”
Her grip on my hand tightens. “Okay, no. You don’t get to do that.” Her voice is sharper than I expected, and my eyes flit back to her face. “You’re an asshole. You don’t get to make me feel bad because you’re feeling bad.”
“I’m sorry.” Those words leave my lips on very few occasions, but I genuinely mean them in this instance.
“Good.” She pulls her hand back and stands. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I fight the urge to reach for her and pull her back into my bed. I don’t care that it isn’t real. I want her here with me. Instead, I nod. “Sleep well.”
Calla walks out of the room, and the scene starts to fade around me. I close my eyes and let the darkness take me with it.
* * *
We check out of the hotel first thing and head for Calla’s parent’s house. After last night, it’s safe to say we’re all antsy to reunite.
