The Boy Who Has No Belief (Soulless 7)

I drove back into the city late that night, Lizzie asleep in the back seat with her head against the window. The headlights lit up the dark road as we headed back to Manhattan, no other cars on the road because everyone was nestled with their families. Light music played over the radio.

Emerson turned to look at me, her jacket on her lap to keep her warm. “I really like your sister.”

“Good because I don’t.”

She chuckled before she smacked me on the arm. “You’re so full of it.”

“Alright, she’s pretty cool.”

“She seems smart like you and Dex, but she’s a lot better with conversation.”

“She gets that from my mom.”

“And she’s so pretty. Like, sometimes it’s hard to look at her.”

“Again, she gets that from my mom.”

“It must have been nice for you to spend time with them both,” she said. “I know you don’t see them a lot.”

“Yeah, it bums me out sometimes.” Daisy was at Harvard, and Dex was at Johns Hopkins. I only saw them during the holidays or over the summer. It sucked sometimes. It made me realize how much I took for granted when we were growing up. But Daisy was so much younger than me that we were never really compatible until she became an adult. Dex was a lot closer to her since they were similar in age.

“I love your family. They’re all super-smart and accomplished people, but they’re so humble and laid-back. When I imagine a room full of doctors, Nobel Prize winners, and rocket scientists, I imagine the most pretentious evening ever.”

“Definitely not us,” I said with a chuckle.

“Your parents did such a good job with you guys—parents of the year.”

“I don’t know about that. I think we just grew up to be like them, so it was natural.”

We spent the rest of the drive in silence, and then I pulled up to the curb outside their apartment.

Lizzie was snoring in the back seat, her jacket on top of her, her head rolled back and her mouth open. Even when I turned off the engine and the music had stopped, she still didn’t stir.

Emerson looked in the back seat and glanced at her. “Wow, she’s knocked out cold.”

“Too much hot cocoa.” I looked in the rearview mirror and watched her sleep, my eyes softening in affection.

We got out of the car, and Emerson opened the back door. “Time to wake up, honey.”

“It’s okay.” I came around the side and unfastened Lizzie’s safety belt. “I got her.” I scooped my arms underneath her and lifted her from the car, leaving her gifts behind to be retrieved later.

Emerson’s eyes softened as she shut the door behind her then walked with me up the stairs and into the building. We headed to her floor, and Lizzie slept against my chest the entire time, like she was so deep in sleep that none of the movements made her open her eyes.

Emerson got the door unlocked, and I carried Lizzie into her bedroom, stepping inside the room for the first time and seeing her pink pillows, her stuffed animals, and the book I’d signed for her on her nightstand.

I set her on top of the bed and rested her head on the pillow.

She immediately turned over and pulled her knees to her chest.

Emerson grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and draped it over her so she wouldn’t get cold. Then we left the bedroom and headed back into the living room.

She faced me, her arms over her chest. “I know you’ve had a long weekend so you’re probably eager to go home, but you’re welcome to stay if you want.” She looked into my eyes with that heavy feeling, like every moment with me was a gift she didn’t deserve.

The feeling was mutual. “I’d love to.”

A soft smile moved over her lips before she took my hand and pulled me into her bedroom. The bedroom door shut, and she immediately slid her fingers underneath my shirt and pulled it over my head, slowly stripping me down. It was late after a really long day, but that didn’t seem to deter her from having me. Her hands glided up my chest before she looked at me. “Lizzie told me what you said to her.”

I stared into her eyes as I felt her touch me, felt her right palm move over my chest so she could feel my beating heart. My body was quiet, gentle and peaceful, like she brought me into this still and beautiful place. “I meant it.”

“I know you do.” She moved into me and hooked her arms around my neck, drawing me close as she rested her forehead against mine, her fingers lightly playing with the hair at the back of my neck. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me…you know that?”