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Mom smiles at me. “Sounds complicated,” she murmurs. “But love usually is, and life definitely is. Things rarely go the way you plan for them to, honey. You’ll find, though, that some of the best things in life come when you least want or expect them. Just go with it, and see where life takes you.”
I bite down on my lip on shake my head. “It isn’t love, Mom. It can’t be.”
Mom chuckles and nods. “Sure,” she says, obviously in disbelief. I cannot be in love with Emilia. That’s the one thing I didn’t want happening. I guess it’s just possessiveness. I want her to be mine alone. That doesn’t make it love.
Emilia walks into the kitchen, and Mom straightens. Emilia quietly takes a seat next to me and I take another sip of my tea, ignoring her. I’m being irrational. I shouldn’t be mad at her at all, but I just feel so fucking betrayed.
Emilia reaches for a slice of cake and grabs my fork to take a bite. Mom smiles at her when she sighs happily and pours her a cup of tea. Emilia takes it and grins up at Mom. “Thank you,” she whispers.
She’s such an integral part of my family. I absolutely can’t fall in love with her. Mom seems so happy to have both of us sitting here. If I fuck shit up again, I’ll be breaking her heart again, like I did two years ago.
“Something on your mind?” Mom asks her. She glances at me and frowns. Emilia shakes her head.
I cross my arms and involuntarily grit my teeth. Mom chuckles and glances from me to her. When we both remain quiet, Mom clears her throat and shakes her head. “Let me go check if the laundry is done,” she murmurs before walking out, leaving us sitting alone.
Emilia turns toward me and places her hand on my bicep. “You’re misunderstanding things,” she murmurs. I turn to face her and smile, catching her off guard. I bury my fingers in her hair and gently cup the back of her neck, my thumb stroking over her throat.
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Emilia,” I murmur. I lean in until my lips are hovering right over her ear. “It’s only your body I want. I couldn’t care less who you give your heart to. Just remember that your body is mine.”
I pull away from her and her eyes flash with anger. “Fine. Whatever. For the record, I wasn’t texting Mason. I haven’t spoken to him since we got back home. I was re-reading some of the texts you sent me last night. Kate knows I’m seeing someone, and she somehow ended up assuming that it’s Mason, and I just never corrected her. If you’re going to act like a dick to me, then at least do it knowing all the facts.”
I stare at her in surprise and then look away. I get so fucking worked up when it comes to her I can’t even think clearly. I can’t stand the idea of her with Mason. I’m possessive as hell and I want more of her than we agreed on. I’m falling for her all over again, when I was so sure I’d stay in control of my emotions. When the fuck did this even happen? How could I have let this happen?
Emilia jumps off her chair when I remain silent and glares at me before storming off. I’m tempted to follow her, but I resist. A bit of distance is exactly what I need. I need to get myself in check.
Chapter 26
Emilia
Kate drags me to a house party that I’ve been dreading. “Come on, it’ll be so much fun. We haven’t been out since we came back from home. We’re both overdue some fun. Besides, it’s Mason’s party. How could you not go?”
The reason I don’t want to go is because it’s Mason’s party. I have no doubt Carter is going to be there too, and I’m not in the mood for more bullshit or misunderstandings. He’s been avoiding me recently and when he tutored me last week he was so distant and polite, making a move on him felt wrong. I feel like I’m being pushed back into the friendzone and I hate it.
Kate entwines our fingers and pulls me straight toward the kitchen for a drink. For once, I’m not at all opposed to a shot or two. I clink my glass to Kate’s and down it; the tequila burning my throat. Kate squeals and high fives me. “I told you this would be fun!”
I can’t help but giggle. “Okay, fine, you were right,” I say.
Kate narrows her eyes and groans. “Ugh, look who’s here. The fun police.”
I follow her gaze and find Carter approaching us. His eyes roam over my body hungrily and I smile to myself. I’m wearing a short black skirt with a cute long-sleeved crop top and thigh-high boots. I was a little chilly on the way here and should’ve probably taken a jacket with me, but the look on his face is so worth it. He looks pretty damn good himself. He’s wearing dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt that showcases his muscles spectacularly. He’s so much more relaxed off-season. He’s still working hard, but he isn’t watching films all day or training while still trying to keep his grades up. At least now he can focus a bit more on his company and his degree.
Carter leans against the counter, his arm brushing against me. “What are you two doing here?” he asks, shaking his head. Kate shrugs and I follow suit. Carter’s eyes roam over my body and he grits his teeth. “Aren’t you cold in that?”
I huff in disbelief and glare at him. It’s nowhere near as cold in LA as it was in Woodstock. I’m tempted to snap at him but decide to ignore his remark instead.
“Ugh, you know nothing about fashion,” Kate says, rolling her eyes. She elbows me and tips her head toward the kitchen door before wiggling her brows. I follow her gaze and watch with dread as Mason walks toward us, a wicked grin on his face. I groan internally. This is about to become a shit show.
“Emilia,” he murmurs. He glances at Carter and grins even wider before hugging me tightly. He lifts me right off the floor and twirls me around, ignoring my glare.
“Put me down,” I whisper-shout and he laughs. Carter clenches his jaw as he looks at the two of us, his eyes flashing with anger.
Kate lights up at the sight of me with Mason and she grins. “It’s so good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, but oddly enough we’ve never met,” she says, beaming up at Mason. He wraps his arm around my waist and smiles at Kate. I try to step away, but he just pulls me even closer.
I tip my head toward Kate and smile at Mason. “This is my best friend, Kate.” Mason smiles at her and grins wickedly as he pours us all another drink.
“You two look so much cuter together than I imagined. I’m so excited!” Kate says. Carter takes another shot and I sigh as I rise to my tiptoes to whisper into Mason’s ear.
“It’s a misunderstanding. Hard to explain right now. She thinks you and I are… seeing each other.”
