“I needed some air,” Phoebe said, coming to stand by my side like us being together was normal now. “If he looks pissed off, it’s because he’s been asking to bring me back here for about an hour, but I made him take a detour so I could chew his ear off and annoy him some more.” She smiled a flat-lipped smile full of sarcasm and attitude—a world away from the woman who’d come all over my fingers not so long ago. “I’m finding new ways to irritate him. I think it’s my favourite pastime now.”
“Poor Cohen.” Jace laughed.
“You have no idea,” I muttered, aiming for indifference when really, I wanted to show her whatmyfavourite pastime hadbecome. I curled my fingers into my palm, reminding myself where they’d been.
“We’ve been so worried about you.” Bailey stepped forward and pulled Phoebe in for another hug, and before I could so much as make eye contact with her again, Phoebe’s friends had her surrounded and were guiding her back to their shared apartment without even a whisper of a goodbye.
With my head wedged firmly up my arse now, I began to walk away, too, only for Jace and Andy to fall in line beside me.
“You two seem to be getting along a lot better,” Andy said, slapping me on the back. “It’s almost like you’re friends now or something.”
“Before you start… don’t,” I warned him.
“Nah, you know Cohen, bro,” Jace butt in. “He’s just a sucker for a damsel in distress, that’s all.”
“She doesn’t look like much a of damsel to me with all that snark.” Andy laughed.
“She’s got that, all right.” I sighed.
I just didn’t bother to tell either of them how she had so much more. I meant what I said when I wanted to keep her all to myself.
Somethings were too good to share with other people.
The world had a way of tainting everything I enjoyed, and I wasn’t prepared to let anyone taint anything when it came to my new little secret obsession, Phoebe Turner. I only had a limited number of days left to make count. If I had to go to my room alone, I’d spend all night thinking of ways to make those days ones we’d both remember for the rest of our lives.
The idea of becoming a memory she thought about for the rest of her days suddenly seemed more important than the very breath in my lungs.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Phoebe
I’d barely slept, unable to stop thinking about those moments with Henry last night. I’d never been kissed so thoroughly.
While I hated not telling my two best friends about it in every minute detail, I also couldn’t deny how exciting it felt to keep something so special a secret. Something just for me that no one else could ruin with their opinions, judgements, or worries.
I’d never done anything like this before, and it was all because of him.
Him and this idea.
Him and those eyes.
Him and that mouth.
Him and those hands.
Lord, thosehands.
Henry had been right. When you kept something to yourself, it became sacred.
With him on my mind, I decided to get dressed as quickly and as quietly as I could, slip out of the apartment, then head down to the pool. I left the girls in their beds and a note onthe kitchenette counter telling them not to panic. After they’d brought me back to our room last night, I’d been given an inquisition into what had happened with Henry on our walk back from the bar. They’d wanted to know every detail, and I’d had to tell them a lot of half-truths just to get them off my back.
Yes, he was more than respectful the whole time.
No, he didn’t argue with me once. He was actually very sweet.
He’s still annoying, though. I don’t understand why he can’t just smile more.
I don’t think he hit that guy because he has feelings for me, Rhea. I think he did it because he’s the type of man who hates scumbags.
