AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Devlin peels away and goes into his room. It’s the door on the other side of the bathroom.
The room two doors down from mine.
I gulp and zip into my bedroom, leaning against the closed
door.
“What have you gotten yourself into now?” I mumble.
Be careful, troublemaker. The voice in my head sounds like Devlin’s.
Time to adapt once more. But are the rules the same?
Are we even playing the same game?
Twenty-Three
Devlin
After discarding the towel and changing into briefs, I sit on my bed with the crinkled magazine page we wrote our contract on.
Having Blair here is more intense than I imagined. She smelled so enticingly sweet as I caged her against the wall. Walking away from her in the hall when I had her right where I wanted her was a challenge. But after forcing her to come here, I couldn’t ignore the voice in my head telling me to leave her be. I think it might be my conscience.
Who knew the rusty old thing was alive and kicking?
It’s forcing an awareness of what a dick I’ve been to the front of my mind, messing with my plans.
Releasing a sigh, I trace Blair’s signature. It doesn’t have an ounce of the quirky way Blair used to write her name with a star. Now it’s neat, straightforward, and to the point. Has she changed as much as I have since we were kids?
The question lingers as I map the letters in her name. Even with my penchant for stargazing, I’m nothing like the boy I was then.
The sadness I carried grew with me, festered, and pushed me into the shadows.
We might be too different from the kids we were and the people we’ve become to ever regain the brief bond we shared. Are we even the same now as we were when we made this contract?
I picture Blair’s feisty expression as I proposed this arrangement, her arms tied to the stool.
My tongue swipes over my lip as I search for the same hate I harbored for her that night. There’s even less than before. It’s bleeding out of me by the day, replaced by the urge to chase her for another taste of her lips.
The creased page makes a faint sound as I shift to my feet.
If I put it away, I won’t have to face why she’s here. I can just enjoy it while it lasts.
Crossing to the closet panels along the wall, I tuck the contract out of sight beneath a stack of shirts on a low shelf. Rubbing the back of my neck, I return to the bed.
So much of my energy is focused on fighting for control, but I don’t have it. I never did. Not just over Blair, but over myself, too. Everything I’ve done is a futile attempt to gain control.
It’s always been easier to strive for it than face the reasons I want control so badly.
Blair is here, but now what? If I keep on the same path, she’ll only meet a monster at the end. Blair deserves more than that.
If she sees my demons head on, there’s no question about it—she’ll walk away, just like the others.
Maybe I can change that.
Twenty-Four
Blair
