Unspoken Rules (Rules 2)

“Sorry? Is that all you got?” I taunt. “You think I’m going to forgive you that easy?”

His eyes grow in shock.

“I know you’re going to forgive me that easy.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“Is that so?” He tilts his head to the right and steps closer to me. I make it a point to tease him by stepping back although I know my average-sized bedroom won’t allow this You push, I pull game of ours for too long.

“Yes,” I say unconvincingly. When my back hits my closet and his body meets mine, we both put down the weapons and give in to the need—the urge.

We can’t control it.

We kiss.

But it’s not soft. Or gentle. It’s both eager and sloppy. Both sad and happy. We’re miserable and desperate for this kiss, tugging at each other’s hair, clothes, faces. We’re desperate for forever, and we’re terrified, horrified, panicked… because forever ends tomorrow.

His fingers dig into my shoulders as he pushes my hair away to kiss my neck. Taste it. Breathe it. Then, he stops. And for the same reason I won’t let our clothes hit the floor, he looks into my eyes. We’re thinking the same thing. We need to talk—really talk—before we go too far.

If we don’t, we’ll be fine for a second, panting into each other’s arms while we disconnect from reality. For a minute, we’ll forget that the plane taking us to the sky is going to crash. We’ll forget that everything that goes up… comes back down.

And I don’t know if we can survive this fall.

“We can’t keep fighting,” I say.

“I know.”

“What happened earlier?”

He sighs. “Every time we’re happy, there’s a voice in the back of my head telling me that it might be the last time.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

He pulls away, the hope illuminating his gaze breaking my heart. It’s small, but it’s there.

“Did you decide to stay?”

“No.”

Nothing in this world could make being the reason the light in his eyes dies easy.

“Oh.”

He nods and turns away.

“But I’m asking you to come with me.” The words come out as a quick, crammed mess. His back is facing me. I can’t see his expression, but it’s a good thing since I’m pretty sure his pain would pulverize my courage.

“Before you say no, just think about it. There’s nothing here for you anymore. You’re done fighting, your brother’s with Riley and taking over the company. Your family betrayed you, and you have people lining up to hurt you. What’s keeping you here, Haze? Please tell me, because I don’t get it.”

He swivels around to face me.

“Winter, it’s my home…” he murmurs.

“No, it’s not.” I raise my voice. “I am.”

His mouth falls open.

“Home is where your heart is. Can’t you picture it? Us moving in together and arguing over what colors to paint the walls? Because I can. I can see every moment of it.” I cup his face with my hands. “I can see us unpacking our boxes and me getting a pet even though you said no until you eventually get attached and want to keep him. I can see you complaining about the cold weather but forgetting all about it the second you come home to me. I can see me graduating and getting a job, while you figure out what you want to do and finally step out of your family’s shadow. I can see all of it. I can see us being happy. But I need you to see it, too…”