Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
She’s staring at the bottle of wine but not pouring.
“We aren’t in an enchanted castle, you’re going to have to pick it up, princess.” I walk by and grab her a glass of wine. “Unless you were banking on me to do the heavy lifting.”
She turns to me. “What do you want? Why reveal yourself now after being gone so long? Why taunt me like you’re about to announce to the world what I did to you when I thought I was helping? What’s with the mind games? Are you behind the Dean’s List?”
My eyes widen. “I don’t know if I should be flattered I’m taking up so much of your head space or concerned at how short an amount of time it took.”
“Both.” She licks her lips and crosses her arms. Her green eyes dart from my mouth up to my eyes. “Does it matter? I can’t live like this. You’ve already won. So, what do you want, do you want me to confess to every stranger on campus that I’m a monster? Do you want me to publicly fail? Do I need to do a press conference and ruin my own life so I don’t have to constantly look over my shoulder and see the look on your face, like you really are dead like I really did kill you.”
I lean against the counter. “You already buried a pretend body and attended a funeral and lied in court,” I whisper. “And look around, nobody’s doing a press conference. I find great joy in your discomfort. What if that’s all I want? For you to constantly wonder when, if, why…I think that might be enough for me, besides it seems the only way to get you honest is in situations where you have no control.”
“That’s crazy.”
You’re crazy is what I hear. And maybe she’s right. Maybe I am. But aren’t we all a little bit crazy inside? It’s what we do with it that matters, it’s how we utilize the crazy that counts.
“Revenge isn’t sane, Lilah, and it oftentimes destroys the person getting it as much as the person giving it.”
She looks down at her feet. “And the Dean’s List.”
“You saw the red paper.” I push away from the island and lean in until I’m right by her ear. “Not it, but I think I know who is.”
“So, this is all just…coincidence that you’re suddenly here?”
“Sadly, yes, though had I known Evans was on The Dean’s List I would have turned in his ass ages ago, hate that guy.”
Her head whips in my direction. “Wait, there’s a way to report people?”
I frown. “Um yeah it’s the same anonymous email address, you can report a crime of passion, bribery, whatever you want.”
“But you can’t just ruin people’s lives.” How cute that she truly believes that when she had such a hand in ruining mine.
“You should know better than anyone, Lilah that people rarely fact check when every single finger points to the same person. And they’d rather prove an innocent man guilty than admit they’re wrong or made a mistake. It’s better to hide and manipulate in order to stay on top than to take the fall yourself.”
Her face pales. “How did she—”
“Nope.” I grab her by the chin. “You do not get to ask how she died, what happened, or anything that might make you sleep a little bit better tonight. I’ll tell you when I feel like it, not when you need the fucking consolation.”
A tear slides down her cheek and onto my hand. It’s hot. I don’t care if it’s the memory of her sin that caused it or my anger. That tears mine. I lean in and lick it up with my tongue. “And here I thought your guilt would taste so much more bitter, Delilah.”
Her eyes glisten with more tears. She’s willing them not to spill.
I lean in closer. “I’m thirsty, give me one more, one more tear for one more life you ruined, you fucking owe me.”
Her eyes rage. One slips free it slides slowly down the front of her face until it collides with her top lip, resting on her bottom.
I stare it down.
I remember the lines we never crossed.
The rules we made are no longer in fucking play.
My tongue slides across her upper lip and then I suck in her bottom lip between my teeth, biting down hard enough to make a mark. I pull back. Her eyes are wild, but her breathing is erratic just like my own pulse.
“Thank you for your service.” I lightly shove her away, walk over to the wine, and pour some into a glass. “Now go pretend you’re not a monster. We’re done here.”
She grabs the wine and bolts from the room.
And I stand there and force every ounce of control back into my body. I almost cracked. Her eyes, her taste. I told myself it had been a dream, the one kiss we shared, the one forbidden kiss before the world turned on us.