“I have to admit,” Brielle whispers. “He is gorgeous.”
I shake my head as I stare at my reflection in the mirror and blow out a deflated breath. “Gorgeous doesn’t even come close, Brelly. I like his insides better than I like his outsides.”
“God, his outsides are pretty fucking awesome.” She rips a hot roller out of my hair and I wince in pain.
“I know.” I sigh sadly.
“Why does he have to live on the other side of the world?” she whispers as she begins to comb out the curls.
“He’s leaving on Tuesday.”
“To go where.”
“Travelling.”
“How long for?”
“He won’t be back before we go home,” I murmur sadly.
Her horrified eyes meet mine in the mirror. “So, what? That’s it then?”
I nod as a sick feeling passes over me. “Yep.” I stare at my reflection in the mirror. “I only have him for three more days.”
* * *
Two hours later and the reception room is in full swing, fancy, and crammed with beautiful people. Alastar is at my side and we are drinking champagne.
His arm slips around my waist and he pulls me to him. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he whispers closely in my ear before he kisses me on my cheek.
I smile into him. “About a hundred times already.”
“I will tell you a hundred more before the night is out.” He kisses me on the lips and my eyes dart around to the people surrounding us. “We are in public.” I smirk. “People will notice.”
He smiles as he picks up my hand and kisses the back of it. “I want people to notice. I want them to see the beautiful girl I am with tonight.”
My cheeks begin to heat. “I imagine you have bought some pretty beautiful dates to these sort of things before. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
He shakes his head subtly. “I have never bought a date to a work function before.”
I frown. “Why not?”
“I haven’t had anyone I wanted to share this with.”
My eyes hold his. What’s going on here? Am I imagining this feeling of closeness between us? This ends in three days, and instead of falling further into the Twinkle abyss, I need to snap myself out of it.
His hand cups my face tenderly and he smiles down at me.
“Are you trying to make me fall for you?” I whisper as my eyes search his.
A trace of a smile crosses his face. “Maybe, is it working?” he murmurs as he kisses me gently. His lips hold mine with suction, but no tongue, my eyes closed in reverence. I’ve never been kissed the way he kisses me. He kisses me to my bones and every cell in my body closes her eyes, unable to think of anything else but the beautiful man who is taking front and center stage of everything.
“It is,” I whisper into his lips, I can’t lie. I can’t tell him I don’t have feelings for him when I damn well do. I am falling for him and I know I’m on the precipice of heartache and I still can’t make myself take a step back.
He smiles a breathtaking smile, kisses me again, and then pulls back to take my hand in his. I look at the people around us, some staring, some talking deep in discussion, and others not even noticing. My equilibrium is totally haywire.
He just got me to admit that I am falling for him and I close my eyes in regret.
What am I doing?
Don’t do this to yourself, Emerson. I get a visual of myself crying on Tuesday and begging him not to go, to take me with him. I see myself promising him anything to make him stay, and yet he will go anyway. I already know that he will.
“I’m going to go the bathroom.” I fake a smile.
“Over on the far wall. Do you want me to come?” he asks as he puts his hand around my waist.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you.” I smile and he kisses me quickly.
I walk up the hall and finally find the swanky, black marble toilets and walk into the cubicle to close the door.
I sit there for five minutes with my heart hammering as the last four days’ swirl through my mind like a Tornado. Laughter, love making, and dreaming by the fire every night with Alastar. Is there more to life than feeling like this? I honestly can’t imagine that there is.
The feeling I have for this man is completely different to what I had for Liam, my ex-boyfriend, and we have hardly even scratched the surface of what we could be together.
We barely know each other, so why do I feel like I know everything about him? I feel like nobody knows me or gets me better than he does.
A sick sinking feeling of awakening runs through me.
I need to regain a little of my resistance, and I need to regain it fast, because I’m scared I’m falling in love with the brightest star in whole of the galaxy.
* * *