Hurrying to catch up to Delaney, I find her crouched down in front of a bench. Her head hangs low as she tries to gather her breaths. She looks fragile and broken. The hardest part is, she’s breaking for me.
Her head tilts to the side, and with sad eyes, she raises her shoulders, slowly lowering them into place.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, lifting off the ground.
“Because I didn’t want to involve you. I still don’t,” I explain. “Your knowing what happened makes things more complicated for me.”
“Because now you can’t handle it on your own.” She shakes her head, knowing me too well. “You do this. You did it after Reed’s disappearance. Isolating yourself, only giving me so much, but when are you going to understand?” Her arm reaches out and brings me flush to her body. “I got you. Always.”
“So, now what?” I say against her shoulder.
“We keep your cute ass safe. I’m assuming whoever threatened you that night is still looking for whatever it is they believe you have.”
I dry the last tear on Delaney’s cheek as she does the same thing for me. A best friend is what I’ve needed. I’ve had one this whole time, even if I’ve somehow managed to forget.
Once you lose someone precious, it becomes easier to live life alone. I don’t have to do that anymore. Seclusion is a hard habit to break, though. We depend on others the minute we are born into this world, and without our consent, the people we care for come and go with little to no regard for our wellbeing.
Alone is easy. Alone is safe.
What if telling Delaney has painted a big target on her?
But telling her has lifted the heaviness off my chest. I can breathe easier now than I could an hour ago.
Is it worth it to let her in, or is it selfish to drag her into this twisted, dark world I now live in?
Chapter Three
Marek
“So, you going to talk to her today?” Breaker kicks at the slushy snow on the ground.
Second period has just ended, and we’re in our usual spot before heading to grab lunch. I think my lack of interaction with Palmer is wearing on the boys. Breaker wants his best friend in his life again, and Dixon, he’s anxious to right his wrongs, even when he doesn’t want to admit it.
What I want is more complicated. I want her to be able to look at me and not see disappointments.
There’s no point in answering Breaker’s question because Palmer is walking this way. She’s nearly fifty yards away, but I know it’s her. The way she wears that damn school uniform is hard to forget. She’s switched out the black thigh highs from yesterday for sexy-as-sin white ones. Who is she trying to fool? There’s not a single part of her that’s angelic.
Palmer claims to believe I’m not capable of vulnerability, and she’s so fucking right it’s painful, but I’m going to try. Not in a way she expects, though. It would be too easy to fall at her feet, beg for her forgiveness, but that’s not me, and there’s no way I’m going to offer her a version of myself that isn’t authentic.
Her attention is on the book in her hand, and she somehow manages to swoop in and out of the busy courtyard without hitting anyone.
We haven’t spoken a single word over the last three days. Instead, I’d purposefully been tardy to class the last two days, taking the spot next to her. Not today, though. Today, I was early and took her usual seat. Palmer rushed into the room, caught sight of me, and paused.
She had two options. Choose a different seat or sit her pretty ass right next to me. I couldn’t control my grin when she fell into the chair beside me. She may as well have not taken a single breath the entire hour. Her making that choice felt like a damn win, and I had a hard time not letting her know every time she glanced at me.
“She’s getting closer. Here’s your chance,” Breaker whispers. I would smack the glee right off his pretty boy face if I could, but I’m damn near certain he’d only smile harder.
Dixon shifts behind me, and without warning, I’m shoved forward, right into Palmer’s arms. The book in her hand drops into the slush.
“Dammit,” she whisper-yells, bending down at the same time I do. Our heads crash together. She almost falls onto her ass, but I’m quick to grab her forearm, stopping her before her uniform is soaked by the melting snow. “I don’t need this shit right now.”
Palmer’s last sentiment definitely isn’t meant for my ears. Her eyes lift to mine, and a heightened sense of indifference glowers back at me. Shit.
“I could’ve let you fall into the snow, baby girl. Good to know next time that that’s where you’d prefer to land instead of having me touch you.”
“Trust me, your touch isn’t the problem. Never has been.” She straightens to her full height as I do to hand her the book that caused this collision in the first place. I flip it over to see the cover and grin when she yanks it out of my hand and tucks it into her bag.
“Oh, it’s the fact that you like it that’s the real problem, huh?” I step forward, invading her space for my own pure enjoyment. “Does it bother you when I do this?” Knowing she won’t resist, I bend just enough to put my lips against her ear and nip on the sensitive skin. “Or what about this?” A little bit lower, my lips find their home on the softest part of her neck.
“Your lack of boundaries is truly appalling, Marek.” She makes a show of dragging her finger over my chest and circling my body until she’s behind me.
“Oh, shit,” Dixon whispers, moving out of the way, shoving Breaker with him until they’re directly in front of me. Both of their expressions prove what I already know. She’s not going to go easy.
“We don’t have boundaries,” I challenge Palmer, growing maybe a bit too cocky as I smile at Breaker and Dixon.
“Yeah, you’ve proven that time and time again. This isn’t exactly something to be proud of.” Her hand wraps around my neck and quickly moves upward until her fingers are laced in my hair. She tugs my head backward, exposing my throat, then her lips mimic what I’ve done to her.
“I think that’s up for interpretation. Take for instance, you, right now. I didn’t ask for you go all soft-core porn star on me right here in the open, but there’s no real complaint, proving sometimes boundaries are meant to be crossed.” I close my eyes for a second, and when I open them again, her touch slips away. How can something as simple as letting go sting so damn much? My hunger for her touch is becoming unbearable.
“I’m not yours to cross anymore. I thought I made that crystal clear,” she whispers.
I turn and take one large step to eliminate the small space between us. She holds her hand up to stop me, only to drop it immediately. Bold is the only way I’ve ever approached Palmer, and nothing is going to stop that now.
“Are you positive?” I graze my hand up her leg until I’m at the apex of her thighs. She doesn’t jolt away as I half-expect when my fingers dig into the velvety skin. “Don’t ever think you’re in control of what I do or don’t do, sweetheart.”
Palmer’s teeth grit together, harshly clenching her jaw. What is she thinking? There’s anger and sincere sexual tension building between us. She hates to admit it, which makes this that much more fun.