303
I shouldn’t look at her like this.
But I do. Every time.
Even now, standing under the buzzing flumescents of the studio hallway, her cheeks flushed from rehearsal and that gry costume slipping off on shoulder like something out of a dream–1 look. I always do.
Penny
It doesn’t matter that I know the rules. Doesn’t matter that she’s in love with someone else. That I’d never cross the fine. That I can’t
She’s like… breath held in a cathedral. Light through stained glass. A secret you want to keep even when it breaks you.
I pretend I’m here for Mila.
And I am. Mostly.
But Penny’s still part of the equation I haven’t figured out how to solve. A ghost that still feels real.
She sees me really sees me and that glow in her face when she runs into my arms hits like a punch to the ribs. Like forgiveness I didn’t earn.
“Booms!” she says, and throws her whole self into me. Small, light, radiant.
0145
I hold her tight and breathe her in. That scent of hers–coconut and vanilla and something uniquely her–hits me like it always does. Warmth. Longing. A
need I shouldn’t entertain.
She pulls back and grins up at me. “What are you doing here?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out at first.
What am I doing here?
Looking for an excuse, probably.
But then Mila cuts in, confident and electric. “We’ve been talking. And he’s hot, so now he’s taking me for sushi.”
Right. That’s the excuse.
And suddenly the atmosphere changes. Penny blinks. Stares at Mila. Then at me. Then back again. Her jaw drops a little before she bursts into laughter, pure and real and beautiful, and it shakes something loose in my chest.
She hugs Mila goodbye, throws a wink my way, and says something about not breaking me. Mila makes some wild joke about taking full advantage, and yeah -my ears burn. I know I blush. And when we leave, Penny’s laughter follows us down the hallway like a melody I almost remember.
But the weight of her doesn’t leave my chest.
It never really does.
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Chapter 303
Penny’s scrunchie.
I shouldn’t have kept it. It slipped off her wrist weeks ago, and i told myself I’d return it the neat these 1 saw her But then 16401.
Because I’m weak. Or stupid. Or something in between.
It still smells like her.
I press it to my face for half a second, breathing her in, and then drop it back in the drawer and shut it like it might be
That chapter’s closed.
Or it should be.
Because there’s this new chapter now. One with storm–colored eyes and laughter that hits like static and lips that say exactly what they mean
Mila.
She’s going to ruin me in a completely different way.
And maybe I want her to.
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naaaaw Boomer is soooo the loving retriever! We loves him cos he doesn’t just finish loving Penny. Milas right, how could you not love Penny! My Fingers crossed Boomer can fall for Mila.
7 days ago
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
