Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
maddox
It became damn near impossible to keep my impure thoughts at bay from the moment I saw Annalise in that dress. The way it clings to every curve, every swell of her hips, every inch of that perfectly round, irresistible ass has my pulse hammering. And those red lips… I’m aching to taste them.
I came so close to finally tasting what I’ve been craving all these years, but of course we had to be interrupted. If only fucking Andrés could’ve kept it in his pants for a couple more hours, I wouldn’t be having the worst case of blue balls I’ve ever had.
Lucas glowers at me, possessively wrapping his arm around Annalise. I’m sure seeing us come back at the same time raised some suspicions, but I don’t give a shit. I wish he’d been the one who walked in on us, so he could see who Annalise really wants to be with.
“Everything okay?” he asks. “You were gone for a while.”
“Yeah, sorry. I was on the phone with Mazi,” she says, giving him a tight-lipped smile.
Elijah spots me from across the room and weaves through the crowd, heading my way. He nudges me with his elbow, wiggling his brows with a suggestive grin. “Sooo… what were you and Annalise doing in the restroom together?”
“Nothing,” I reply flatly.
“Why are you being so secretive?” He crosses his arms, pinching his brows together. “I’m your best friend. Come on! Give me the details.”
“There are no details,” I mutter, scrubbing my hand down my face. “Andrés and Katie barged in and decided to get freaky the moment Annalise and I were about to kiss.”
“Damn it,” he sighs. “So you mean to tell me I spent all that energy talking to Hilton for nothing?”
“Wait—you were talking to him?” I tilt my head, brows furrowing together. “For what?”
“So you could get some action!” He throws his hands up.
“He was about to check on her, but I had to keep him distracted and pretend like I was interested in getting to know him.” Rolling his eyes, he lets out an exasperated sigh.
“His favorite color is orange and he doesn’t like ice cream, in case you were wondering.
” He shakes his head, wrinkling his nose.
“Who the hell doesn’t like ice cream? I knew there was something off about the guy. ”
My shoulders shake with laughter. Elijah may be an immature goofball, but he is one hell of a good friend. “So y’all are best buds now?”
“Yep.” He nods. “I’m gonna make him a friendship bracelet.”
“You never made me one,” I pout.
He laughs, shoving me playfully. “Bro, shut your ass up.”
“So, was Hilton losing it earlier?” I ask, a smirk tugging my lips.
“Oh, for sure. I didn’t think it was possible for someone to get that red. The vein on his forehead was pulsating so hard, I thought it was going to burst.”
My smile widens. “I wish I could’ve seen it. I’m glad he’s getting a taste of his own medicine.”
“He probably invited her tonight to rile you up, and now look at him.”
Lucas steers Annalise away from our side of the room, and I can tell he’s feeling insecure from the tight grip he has on her.
She glances my way and I meet her eyes with a soft smile. Lucas frowns slightly, noticing her lingering gaze. He quickly redirects her attention back to him.
Even though Annalise and I were interrupted tonight, I feel more at ease. I wasn’t feeling worried about Lucas anymore. She may still be in denial, but I know deep down she still wants me. I just have to be patient.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Adriana Garcia climbs onto the stage and the crowd erupts in cheers.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Annalise jumps up and down, squealing with excitement.
“Before we get started, I wanted to sing happy birthday to Chandler—who, by the way, is looking extra handsome tonight.” She winks at him, blowing a kiss his way. He blushes furiously, a wide grin spreading across his face.
The servers come out with a cake and we all sing happy birthday to him, led by Adriana on stage.
When the candles are blown out, Adriana pulls the attention back to her. “I’ve been working on a new song that hasn’t been released yet, and you all will be the first ones to hear it. It’s called ‘Always Be Mine.’”
The music swells through the speakers, a haunting melody wrapping around her voice as she takes the mic.
“All those years…
I thought I’d moved on.
But when I saw you again,
I knew I couldn’t have been more wrong!”
The rhythm pulses through the floor, and her voice rises with raw emotion.
“No matter distance or time, you will always be mine!”
Everyone’s eyes are on the stage, captivated by Adriana’s angelic voice, but mine are on Annalise. I shoot her a smile and she returns it. A warm feeling blooms through my chest.
Not only do the lyrics deeply resonate with me, but hearing Adriana live again has me feeling nostalgic. I took Annalise to an Adriana Garcia concert for our first date.
I spot Annalise by the lockers and head her way. I have the biggest crush on her, and I’ve been trying to get her to go on a date with me for months, but she’s turned me down every time. The rejections stung, but I didn’t let it stop me. I’m hoping she’ll say yes this time around.
“Hey, Monroe.”
“What do you want, Kamado?” She continues pulling books out of her locker, not sparing me a glance.
“Sooo… I have front-row seats to the Adriana Garcia concert this weekend. Do you want to go with me?”
Her brow ticks upward. “You’re quite persistent, aren’t you? I thought you’d take a hint after I turned you down the first ten times.”
“What can I say? When I want something, I go after it until I get it.” I wink, earning an eyeroll from her. “Did I mention there will be backstage passes?”
She shuts her locker, her eyes widening. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. But since you don’t seem interested, I think maybe I’ll ask someone else.”
I start to walk away but she grabs my arm. “No, wait. I’ll go with you. But don’t read too much into it. I’m only agreeing to go because I’ve been dying to meet Adriana Garcia, and I couldn’t get my hands on tickets.”
I try my best to keep my cool, but I’m jumping with joy on the inside.
“If it means I get to spend time with you, I'll take it.”
The party continues after Adriana’s performance. Needing a break from the festivities, I escape to the rooftop. I lean against the cool railing of the balcony, gazing upon the night sky.
The sound of heels clicking against the floor catches my attention. I turn my head, a smile ghosting across my lips when I see it’s the person I was hoping for.
The moon casts a glow on her beautiful tan skin and illuminates her sapphire and emerald eyes. The gentle breeze tousles her long brown hair as she walks toward the balcony.
“You following me now?”
“Oh, yeah, totally. I couldn’t stand to be apart from you,” she says, her tone laced with sarcasm.
“Clearly, since you left your bodyguard behind,” I tease.
“I only came to see Adriana Garcia, so I’m ready to leave now.” She digs in her purse, pulling out a joint. “Is it okay if I smoke? That’s why I came up here.”
I shake my head. “I don’t mind.”
She places it between her lips, lighting it up.
I watch her closely as she inhales and exhales, releasing a cloud of smoke that curls around us.
She holds out the joint to me. “Do you wanna take a hit?”
“Sure,” I say, taking it from her. I take a puff but end up inhaling too much. The smoke burns my lungs and I break out into a fit of violent coughs. My hand tightly grips the railing as I gasp for air.
She laughs, patting me on the back. “You alright there, Dimples?”
Dimples.
A smile blooms on my face upon hearing that old nickname.
“Why are you smiling like that?” She looks at me, puzzled.
“Because you called me Dimples.” I continue grinning at her like an idiot.
“Okay, so what?” She shrugs, a rosy blush touching her cheeks.
“You’ve only been calling me by my last name.”
“It must have slipped out.” She quickly glances away, taking another puff of her joint.
It may be a small victory, but I’ll take it as a sign she’s slowly warming up to me.
“I can never get enough of this view,” she says, staring out at the Golden Gate Bridge sparkling over the water.
“Neither can I,” I agree, my eyes on her. “It beats the view I had when I was living in Houston.”
“What was it like living there?”
“It was pretty dope. There was always some kinda event going on, and the food was great. Tacos in Texas hit different. But the weather during the summer was unbearable. It feels good to be back in San Francisco. I missed it here.”
“I missed it too.”
I missed you.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you really left New York?” I angle my body toward hers.
“I already told you, I wanted to be closer to my family.”
I let out a heavy sigh, not buying it. “I want the real reason, Annalise. You worked so hard to pursue your dream. I know you wouldn’t have given it up that easily. I know your family wouldn’t have let you, either.”
She takes a long puff from her joint, then puts it out against the railing before tossing it in a trash can to the side.
A heavy sigh leaves her lips before she starts.
“When I graduated from college, I had an internship lined up with Camille Dubois. I flew back home to visit my family, and Abuelo was extremely ill. The doctors ran a few tests on him and found a mass in his lung. He was later diagnosed with stage-three small cell carcinoma.”
My gut twists with pain. Her grandfather, Emilio, is such a warm and gentle soul. It pains me knowing that he’s battling this illness.
Gently, I place my arm on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Annalise. I know how much he means to you.”
She remains silent, trying to fight back the tears.
“What’s his prognosis?” I ask.
“The doctor said he has a thirty percent chance of surviving with treatment.”
“I think he’ll beat the odds,” I say, trying to lift her mood. “He’s got a lot of spunk in him.”
“I hope so… I don’t know what I would do without him.” Her voice cracks and tears spill down her cheeks.
I bring her head to my chest, pulling her into a tight embrace as she sobs.
“Why him?” she wails. “He doesn’t deserve this.”
My heart aches seeing her in such a vulnerable state. I want to protect her and obliterate anything that caused her sadness.
I curse myself for not fighting harder for her back then. My anger prevented me from reaching out to her. Had I been there for her, she wouldn’t have had to endure this pain alone.
Annalise is like a rose, beautiful and compelling.
Her beauty often distracts people from seeing the thorns she tries to hide from the world.
Many people wouldn’t dare grasp a rose full of thorns for fear of the pain that it would cause, but I’d let her thorns pierce through every part of me.
I see her for who she is and appreciate every part of her—thorns and all.
“I’m sorry for ruining your night.” She sniffles, swiping the tears from her eyes. “You should go back down with your friends. I don’t want to burden you with my problems.”
My hands drift to her face. I cup her cheeks, staring deep into her eyes. “Don’t ever feel like you’re burdening me, Annalise. I’m here for you. Always. And you didn’t ruin my night.” I gently stroke her cheeks. “Being out here with you was the best part of it.”
A small smile touches her lips, causing my heart to swell.
“There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Lucas’s arrogant voice slices through the air.
Annalise pulls away from my embrace, quickly dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
He strides over to the balcony, deliberately placing himself between us. His eyes flick to her tear-streaked face, the pink tinge of her nose. “Is Kamado bothering you?” he asks, his tone sharp.
“No. We were just talking,” she replies, shaking her head.
As much as I want to give him an earful and send him flying off the edge of this building, I resist. I don’t want to upset Annalise and ruin the moment we shared earlier.
“I’ll see you next week at Dauntless,” I say, giving her a smile.
“Yeah. I’ll see you around.” She grins and gives me a small wave.
I slowly descend the stairs, lingering at the base and contemplating if I should rush back up and tell her that I’m still deeply, madly in love with her.
I’ve been lying to myself saying that I don’t, but the truth is, I never stopped loving her.
Even if she doesn’t say it back, I can’t let another minute go by without her knowing.
With my heart pounding loudly in my chest, I race up the stairs—ready to profess my love for her.
But the words die in my throat.
Lucas’s hands are in her hair and they’re locked in a kiss.
How could she kiss him after the moment we just shared?
I feel my heart shatter into a million pieces at the sight before me, crushing me beyond repair.