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He gave me a terse nod in acknowledgement. “Good, because we need to talk, Edie.”
“Yeah, okay,” I sighed as I made my way back to the couch, dropping back comfortably on one end.
I watched as Lars took a seat right next to me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There was plenty of room on the couch for him at the other end, and it wasn’t like my house was so big that I wouldn’t be able to hear him from over there.
Staring over at him, I said, “Well, since it wasyouridea to stop by to talk, I think I’ll let you kick off this awkward party.”
Staring right back at me, he said, “I’m not going to apologize for looking out for you, Edie. However, I will concede that I might have gone about it the wrong way.”
I arched a brow. “Oh, you don’t say.”
Ignoring my sarcasm, he said, “It was just all too much, too soon. Everywhere I turned, guys were talking about you in ways that they shouldn’t have been. With or without Talon in the picture, you’ve never done anything that would give guys the right to talk about you the way that they’ve been doing.”
“You mean that they were treating me like every other teenage girl in the country,” I replied drolly.
“And that’s the problem, Edie,” he replied. “You keep thinking that you’re just like every other girl at Lakeside, and you’re not. You need to quit comparing yourself to other girls because you are not like other girls.”
“Yes, I’m very aware of how inexperienced I am, thank you very much,” I bristled.
“Christ, you’re driving me crazy,” he swore as he ran a hand through his dark hair.
“Then speak English,” I snapped.
Lars shot me a look, and if we didn’t figure this thing out soon, we were going to implode all over the place. We were both saying and hearing the wrong things, and I really felt like I was losing my goddamn mind trying to understand his nonsense.
“Edie, you’re better than all those girls at Lakeside,” he finally said. “And because of that, you deserve the respect that those other girls aren’t getting from those jackasses that go to our school.”
“You’re one of those jackasses, Lars,” I reminded him.
“Iusedto be one of those jackasses,” he corrected. “I’m not that guy anymore. I haven’t been him in a while, Edie.”
Letting out another deep sigh, I asked, “Does it even matter what they say about me, Lars? I mean, it’s not like their opinions are going to ruin my life or anything.”
“It matters in the same way that you’d lose your mind if you ever heard anyone saying anything bad about Talon, Edie,” he said, reminding me that he was always going to see me as Talon’s little sister, no matter what went on yesterday.
Nevertheless, he did have a point.
“Okay, so you don’t like hearing guys talk about me,” I said. “I still don’t understand what’s that got to do with me, Lars.”
“Baby, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me.”
~
Lars~
Edie eyed me suspiciously. “What does that mean?”
Even though I’d wanted to talk to Talon first, Edie and I couldn’t go on like this. We needed to clear the air, and I needed to kick that off by telling her the truth. I needed to be honest with her about how I felt and pray that she felt the same way.
“Edie, I didn’t kiss you on Friday because it’s whatyouwanted,” I finally told her. “I also didn’t make you cum yesterday in a bid to win our argument.” Her face flushed at the reminder of how I’d made her cum. “I’m not fighting with you every day because I’m just picking up from where Talon left off. I didn’t reject Rosa Venice because of the drama with her ex.” I lifted my hand, cradling the left side of her face. “Edie, I’m not sure when it happened or why it happened, but you’re driving me crazy becauseI want you.I’m losing my fucking mind because all I think about is wanting to be with you, and I don’t mean just physically.” My other hand came up to cradle her entire face. “Baby, you’re the best person that I know, and I’ve known you long enough to know that what I’m feeling right now is not some fleeting…curiosity.”
Licking her lips, she asked, “What is it that you’re feeling?”
“Edie, I no longer see you as Talon’s little sister,” I told her. “I no longer see you as just a friend, one of the six of our group.” Her lips parted in a low gasp. “That kiss, it was real. Yesterday, it was real. I’ve never wanted a girl the way that I want you, and I’m losing my shit because I’m terrified of fucking things up.”
“Lars…” she murmured.
“Edie, I can handle a lot,” I went on. “However, letting you down is not on that list.”
