Chapter Twenty-One
Star
The room was dark except for the faint glow from the streetlight bleeding in through the curtains.
Cole lay beside me on his back, one arm tucked behind his head and the other resting loosely over my waist. I was curled on my side, facing him, tracing idle shapes into his chest with my fingertips.
Out of nowhere, he huffed a quiet laugh.
“What?” I asked.
He turned his head to look at me, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I still can’t believe you thought your mom didn’t know we were having sex.”
I froze for half a second. “Excuse you?”
He grinned. “Star. We’ve been sleeping in the same bed for over a week.”
I smacked his chest, not hard, just enough to make a point. “That does not automatically mean—”
He laughed, full and warm. “It absolutely does.”
I rolled my eyes and let out a long sigh, settling my cheek against his shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess I just… didn’t want to think about her knowing.”
“That’s fair,” he said. “But she’s not stupid.”
“I know,” I muttered. “Unfortunately.”
We fell quiet again. My thoughts drifted, inevitably, to tomorrow after trying to distract him from it all night.
“What if everything changes after tomorrow?” I asked softly.
He didn’t answer right away.
I lifted my head, and he rolled onto his side, mirroring me until we were face to face. His expression had shifted—less teasing now, more serious.
“I hope it does,” he said.
I frowned. “You do?”
“Yeah,” he said honestly. “I hope it changes so we don’t have to worry anymore.”
I swallowed. “What if we change?” I asked. “What if we did this too fast?”
His brow furrowed. “You think we did?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “It kind of feels like we hit the fast-forward button.”
He smiled faintly and reached up, brushing my hair out of my face with his fingers. The touch was gentle. “I had my eye on you before that night,” he said.
I blinked. “You did?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Before you cracked that guy with the cue stick.”
I laughed softly despite myself. “That was not my finest moment. I just wasn’t down with him messing with Adley.”
“Disagree,” he said. “It was hot as hell.”
I shook my head and smiled as I sighed. “I like this,” I said quietly. “I really do. I’m just afraid that when you don’t have to be with me twenty-four-seven anymore, it’s going to… stop.”
His hand stilled in my hair. His voice was steady when he spoke. “I’m with you right now to keep you safe,” he said. “And that isn’t going to change after tomorrow.”
I searched his face, looking for hesitation. I didn’t find any.
“This isn’t about obligation,” he continued. “It’s about choice. And I’m choosing you.”
Something tight in my chest loosened.
“No matter what happens tomorrow,” he said, “we’re doing this. Together. We’ll figure it out as we go, but I’m not walking away.”
I nodded, emotion swelling in my throat. “Okay.”
He leaned in and kissed me—the kind of kiss that didn’t ask for anything, just promised.
I moved closer, tucking myself into his chest, and his arm came around me automatically. My head settled beneath his chin, and his heartbeat was steady beneath my ear.
“Get some sleep,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
I believed him.
God, did I.