Page 8 of Love on the Edge
He smirks but doesn’t answer.
I settle into the silence, eyes tracing the sky. The stars are sharper, scattered like someone spilled diamonds across the darkness. I don’t know why, but I expected them to look different out here. Closer, maybe.
“I just realized I have no idea what I’m looking at,” I admit.
“Me either.” Ethan shifts slightly beside me. “It’s just nice to look at something that’s unexplainable.”
The quiet stretches, long enough that I shift beneath the blanket. Not uncomfortable, just thick. Charged, like we’re both waiting for something to break it.
I glance at him. He’s leaning back, legs stretched out, arms resting loosely at his sides. Like this is just another night.
But it doesn’t feel like just another night.
The silence sits heavier now. I feel it in my chest, pressing down, making my breath feel shallow. I tell myself it’s nothing, but I still shift slightly, my fingers toying with the edge of the blanket, my body tense in a way I don’t understand.
I glance at Ethan again, just for a second. But this time, he’s already looking at me.
His smirk fades, just slightly. No longer playful, more assessing.
Something low in my stomach tightens, heat unfurling slow and unshakable, pooling beneath my skin. I lick my lips, glancing away.
I need to break the silence.
“You sure you’re not some secret astronomy nerd?” I nudge him lightly with my elbow. “Because that was deep.”
Ethan grins but doesn’t look at me. “I have my moments.”
I roll my eyes, turning toward him. “Not even the North Star?”
“Vaguely familiar,” he says, voice low, amused.
“Cassiopeia?”
“Sounds like a fancy cocktail.”
I scoff. “Wow. You are truly hopeless.”
“I never claimed otherwise.” He finally turns, looking at me now. His gaze is steady, unreadable. Something about it makes my breath catch for half a second.
I arch an eyebrow, playing it off. “And here I thought you had layers.”
“Oh, I do.” His smirk deepens. “You just haven’t peeled them back yet.”
Heat spreads through me, quick and uninvited. My pulse jumps, my breath hitching slightly before I force it steady.
I lick my lips, suddenly too aware of the way he’s watching me. The teasing has shifted. The air is different, warmer.
“You keep looking at me,” Ethan says, his voice lower now. Almost lazy.
I shrug, tilting my chin up. “Maybe I like what I see.”
His smirk lingers, but his eyes drop slightly—like he’s just noticing something he hadn’t before.
The night isn’t peaceful anymore. It’s different. I don’t want to fight it. I don’t think I could if I tried.
Without giving myself the chance to back out or talk myself out of it, I lean in and kiss Ethan.
It’s supposed to be just a test, just curiosity. But the second our lips touch, everything shifts. I pull back, breathless, but Ethan doesn’t let me go. His hand slides behind my neck, fingers threading into my hair, pulling me back in. This kiss is different, deeper. There’s no hesitation or second guessing.
