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This whole ti him whatever was between us wasn’t real And now that I’d realized the depth of what he felt for one

Chapter 19

Alland part of the afternoon, I poked around the house like a zo in my chest My eyes ached as if they were filled with tears that wouldn’t fall It reminded me of the months after Dad’s death

With my heart not really in it, I did a quick review on this dystopian novel I’d read last week and closeddown, I stared at the spider web of cracks inThe truth was hard to face I’d been trying to deny it all ed eht and it was still there Every so often it seemed heavier, more intense

I liked Dae my hurt over the way he’d acted e first s, to what I wanted, and to how he felt And nohat? Dae, had walked away before allowingit I’d hurt hi over, I shoved my face into the pillow His scent was still there I clutched it tightly and closed led up? At what point had my life turned into some bizarre science fiction soap opera?

"Honey, are you feeling okay?"

I openedscrubs with little hearts and swirls on thes? "Yeah, I’e of the bed, placing her hand against my forehead When she determined I wasn’t sick, she smiled a little "The Christ emotions crashed into me "Yeah," I said, voice hoarse "It is"

"Who helped you with it?"

I bit the inside of my cheek "Daemon"

Mom smoothed my hair back with her hand "That’s really sweet of him"

"I know" I paused "Mo to tell her Everything was too…complicated, too jumbled up in the truth of whatJust that I love you"

S, she bent over and kissed ot up and stopped at the door "I was thinking about having Will over for dinner this week What do you think?"

It was great my mom had a stellar love life "Cool with et up Blake would be here soon So would Daerabbed a Coke out of the fridge Passing time, I collected all the books I had duplicate copies of and placed theiveaould make me feel better When I went downstairs to find my Coke--because apparently it had run away frothe banister

There was a knock on the door

Hopping from the step to the floor, I rushed to the door and threw it open Out of breath, I clenched the knob "Hey"

Dae to coh the door"

I flushed "I, uh, was…looking for lanced over ht there, on the table"

Turning around, I saw the red-and-white can laughing at me from a corner table "Oh Well, thank you"

Dae my arm as he passed Oddly, the fact he just invited himself in didn’t upset ainst the wall "Kitten…"

A thrill went through me "Daemon…?"

The half sness "You look tired"

I crept closer "I didn’t sleep well last night"

"Thinking about me?" he asked in a hushed voice

There wasn’t a htly with surprise "Well, I was preparing this whole speech about how you need to stop denying that I consuht and haunt your dreaainst the wall beside him, I could feel his body heat "You, speechless? That’s one for the record books"

Daemon lowered his head, his eyes as deep and endless as the forests outside "I didn’t sleep well last night, either"

I moved closer until ht--"

"I wanted to apologize," he said, and I was stunned yet again He turned so that he was facing ers threaded through mine "I’m sorry--"

Sohwith anger He dropped otten about Blake And I’d forgotten to close the door behind ?" Blake asked

"Yes, Bart, you are always interrupting," Dae as if soth of my back burned under Daemon’s stare

Blake opened the storet over here"

"Too bad it didn’t take longer" Daeet lost or--"

"Eaten by wild boars or killed in a horrific ten-car pile-up I get it" Blake interrupted and sauntered past us "You don’t need to be here, Dae you"

Dae Blake "There’s no other place I’d rather be"

My head was already starting to throb Training with Dae to be easy I slowlyroom They were in an epic stare down