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She’ll get a kick out of this and tell me a million times over, I told you so.
This still doesn’t change the trajectory of our lives. We may currently be traveling on the same train, but soon I’ll reach my stop, and Tristan will continue on his journey.
16
Tristan
I sit down, purposefully choosing the chair that faces Sage. When I saw she was here, happiness sparked inside of me. My plan was for her to join us until I noticed the wineglass in front of her.
Something snapped inside of me. A combination of panic and anger. How could she be so careless?
Maybe it was wrong of me to demand answers and talk to her in such an accusatory tone. It was definitely wrong to drag her into a darkened corner and almost kiss her. But boy, did I want to. I wanted to grab her face in my hands and crash my lips onto hers until she forgot about wine. Let her get lost in me. Use me to melt away the stress.
If anything happened to her, I don’t know what I’d do. Not because she’s currently my ticket to my trust fund but because I care about what happens to her. I’ve never felt so worried before.
I glance over at her to make sure it’s just the one glass of wine like she promised.
“Let up.” Hudson chuckles.
“What?” I look back at him.
“You keep staring at her. Let her spend time with her friend.” Lex shakes her head. “Who thought Tristan would be the possessive type of boyfriend?” She raises her eyebrows at Hudson.
“I didn’t think he’d be any type of boyfriend. Always too busy traveling the world.” I know they mean it in jest, but I glare at them both.
“He didn’t think it was funny.” Lex leans in and whispers into Hudson’s ear.
“I can hear you.” I arch a brow.
“Okay, okay.” She leans back and smiles at me. “I think it’s sweet.”
I shrug, unsure of what to say. I’m still processing what happened in the hallway. It felt so good to be close to her, to grab her hand. I wanted to stay like that forever.
She smelled like flowers, like the jasmine fields I visited in France. It was hypnotic. I want to bottle it up and keep it in my pocket.
This plan is going off the rails. I didn’t think I’d have feelings for Sage, and I don’t know how to handle them. For so long, the only thing I wanted was to help others. Now, I want a woman I’m not sure I can have.
It doesn’t stop me from craving Sage, from wanting to use our plan as an excuse to wrap my arm around her and pull her close, inhale that scent. Whatever it is, I need more of it. Need more of her warmth and her laughter and her funky earrings.
“Are you coming to my parents’ for Easter?” Lex asks.
I look back at her and nod. “Yeah, maybe.”
My eyes move to Sage again. She’s laughing freely, covering her mouth with her hand. I smile at the view.
Nowhere I’ve visited had a better view than Sage laughing without a care in the world.
I’m in trouble.
“Are you finally meeting Sage’s family?” Lex looks behind her, where my eyes are glued, and then back at me.
“What? Oh, I don’t know.”
My parents are out of town like they usually are for holidays. It’s a wonder they don’t understand the distance between us when they are literally the opposite of a united family.
“Isn’t it weird that you haven’t met them yet? You’ve been dating for a bit.” Hudson frowns.
“I don’t think it’s weird. Aren’t there people who don’t meet their partner’s parents until farther into the relationship?”
