Chapter 280
“You don’t have to,” Sierra says. “You can just leave p>
I study her, half-expecting spite or irritation, but there’s nothing there. Her eyes are calm and clear.
“I already told you I’m not leaving, Sierra,” I say. “Not until Lilly gets here p>
She frowns. “Look, I’m grateful you found me and had me checked, but I really don’t want you here p>
Searching her eyes, I know it for sure. She isn’t just being stubborn about this. She means it.
My mind scrambles for something to keep me here. An excuse I can use because this is the closest she’s let me in for months.
“You have a text,” I blurt out.
Her frown deepens, eyes narrowing. “You went through my phone p>
“No,” I say quickly. “It came in after I picked it up off the floor p>
She doesn’t argue. She reaches for the phone, and I see the exact moment her face lights up. It happens the second she unlocks it and reads the message.
I didn’t mean to see it, but earlier, when I checked whether the notification was from Lilly, I caught it.
I didn’t have to guess much. It’s obviously from the guy she’s seeing, considering she’s saved as Dree, decorated with a smiley face and a red heart.
Fuck! Just remembering the message makes my heart tighten so hard, it makes it difficult to breathe.
Morning, my beautiful girlfriend. How are you today?
If I wanted confirmation that she does have a boyfriend, that message is it. If I needed more, the wide smile stretching across her lips right now seals it.
It’s like her whole world just brightened. The exhaustion and shadows clinging to her minutes are completely gone, as if his words alone completely erased them.
I hate to admit it, but it wrecks me because he lights her up in a way I haven’t seen in a long time and that realization guts me to fucking pieces.
My chest constricts as I watch her, as I see how alive her eyes look. She used to smile like that only for me.
There was a time when I was the only one who could light her eyes like that, but that was a long time ago and knowing another man is doing what only I could feels like a punch straight to the gut.
I draw in a slow breath, trying to push down the ache sitting heavy in my stomach but it’s fucking useless.
She finally lowers her phone, the smile still lingering, the happiness still unmistakably there.
“Are you okay?” she asks when she turns to me.
I school my features and give her a small nod.
“So… about Dree,” I say once I’ve forced my emotions back under control.
Her eyes narrow immediately. “I thought you didn’t go through my phone p>
Fuck.
“I didn’t,” I say quickly. “Besides, your phone is locked. I couldn’t access it even if I wanted to… I just saw the name when the message came in p>
She studies me for a long moment, suspicion lingering before her expression finally smooths out. She’s still wary, but she lets it go.
“Who is he?” I ask. “And where did you meet p>
She exhales, her hands curling slightly in her lap. “We’ve been through this, Noah. It’s none of your business p>
Judging by the stubborn set of her jaw, I know she’s not going to tell me anything. Still, the question slips out before I can stop it.
“Is it serious?” I ask, and my voice sounds small even to my own ears.
She shifts on the bed while I shift on the stool, suddenly uncomfortable as I wait for her answer.
“Not that I owe you an explanation,” she begins, “but yes. It’s serious p>
The moment the words leave her mouth, it feels like I’ve been hit by a fucking freight train. Even when Chloe dated other men, it never felt like this. This feels like someone reached into my chest, carved out my heart, and served it back to me on a silver platter.
I close my eyes and force air into my lungs, because it’s the only way I can manage to stay upright.
“You don’t look okay,” her voice cuts through the fog of confusion and ache. “Are you sure you’re fine? Maybe you should call the doctor back p>
I open my eyes focus on her and say quietly. “Did you know that back in college, I almost asked you to be my girlfriend p>
She pauses, then shifts slightly, as if getting more comfortable. “Really p>
“Yes,” I reply simply. “The night we almost had sex, I was going to ask you to officially be my girlfriend, but you had other plans p>
After years of resenting her while secretly wanting her from afar, spending time with her made me realize she wasn’t the villain Chloe had painted her to be. She was nothing like the version I’d been fed.
The more time I spent with her, the harder I fell and the more I fell, the more the love I’d buried years ago began to surface. So that night when she asked me to go over, I had already made up my mind about being with her, but when I got there, things got a little bit heated between us.