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"Tristan, you don’t have to say this kind of stuff to irl that needs a constant reeous Anyone can tell me I’m beautiful It’s trust that wins ood with that"
"I know you think I have," he utters quietly, his fingers softly caressing the skin just below my breast "But I just wanted you to know… need you to understand that you’re different The past relationships I’ve been in… Well, there’s been none In fact, I’ve never even slept with a girl I’ve been attracted to"
Was this what he needed to talk to , yes The potential to wreck me, no "Never? Not once?"
He slowly shakes his head "I was s… not really wanted by anyone… and sos I’ve never been in a relationship, and I honestly don’t even kno they’re supposed to work"
I battle to suppress the pain, not just his, but my own, because his words remind ulps then nods "I’ve done a lot of things… slept with a lot of wo exhale puffs fro I swear I’ve been tested and everything and haven’t had sex since that happened"
I contemplate what he’s said, what he’s really said This is reality, and it’s brutal and ugly and bumpy and doesn’t sweep me off my feet I think of the time I lay under the stars with Conner, and we said I love you before hang sx for the first time I felt like I was in a dream because it was fake Conner was fake Tristan is real
"We’ve allaboutthat stuff anyly at hi while I’o back to being that person," he says, al "I just felt like I needed to tell you so you knohat you’re getting into And, yeah, so you understand just how extremely beautiful you are tohere in front ofserious when he tells uy that lacks self-confidence
"I’ it’ll erase the self-doubt in his expression "Trust uy touchpeople in"
"I know you’re picky," he says alainst the bottom of my breast "It confuses me why you let me touch you like this"
"Because I want you to…" I trail off, listening to the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore as the lukeater kisses at our bare feet
I tell iven et stuck in ers over the defined lines of the half skull, half human tattoo on his chest and ask, "You said once that all your tattoos have ht? So what does this one mean?"
He sot after I almost overdosed I was in a weird state of mind at the time"
"Like you felt half alive and half dead?" I whisper, stretching ers across the tattoo
He nods quizzically "How did you know?"
I shrug "Just a guess" I’m such a liar
I know because I once felt that way to
Neither of us speaks for quite so to stand in silence forever But then an unexpected grin spreads across Tristan’s face, and before I can react, his fingers sneak below the band of my swimsuit and enclose around ether and pinches les zealously ripple across my skin, I collapse into his touch
"Jesus, Avery," he says as he slips an arm around my back and catches me, "that was ridiculously quick"
"What! They’re super sensitive, okay?" I bury
He cocks his head to the side as Charissa hollers at us from down the beach "You know, I’d really like to explore that a bit ets you riled up"
A rush of exciteh as I grab his hand, pulling hio say hi"
An hour later, I’ a cup of soda while staring at Tristan as he chats with a couple of guys I’ve never met before Tristan seems oddly at ease with his sobriety, but I still keep an eye on hiht, and I’rateful that he’s with me, otherwise it’d be that ive him more brownie points for it, but he has so rand total
It see me My omission of the truth There’s still some back
"So I heard a rumor that you applied for a job at the Mercedes dealership," Charissa reulp from the plastic cup in her hand
"Yeah…" I answer absentmindedly as Tristan and mine’s eyes connect fro a secret Then he winks at me and I uncontrollably shiver before I dazedly focus back on Charissa, replaying her question in my head "Wait, how did you know that? The only person I’ve told is Tristan"
She presseslook "I have my ways"
I frown "Coht find out I’ to find out anyway, if you get the job" She rolls her eyes when I continue to frown "Oh fine" She scans the beach, then her fingers enfold around my elbow and she steers me away froo e’re a safe distance away that no one will hear us
I nod, peering back at the fire, noting Tristan is watching us "Fine I swear I won’t tell anyone"
"Good," she says and sips her drink "My dad owns the dealership"
"What!" I exclai to her