This was supposed to be a tender, breakthrough moment.I’ve ruined it by bringing up her tattoo, but now there’s no going back.
“I mean…it’s just not the happiest symbol.”Her voice sounds small, quiet.
I stare at the back of her head, wishing I knew what’s going through her mind.“You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”
“The rose symbolizes love.And the butterfly…” She sighs.“It’s something ephemeral.Something you can’t catch.Or if you do catch it, you can’t keep it.”
I hear the message within the message.The breath leaves my lungs.Leah, the girl I’ve fallen for, doesn’t believe in everlasting love.It’s the saddest thing I’ve heard.
“Leah.”I press my palm against the tattoo.I don’t know if I’m covering it up, or making a vow upon it.Both, perhaps.Emotion clogs my throat.I swallow it down.“I love you.”
Before she can respond, Dmitri clears his throat.“I love you, too.Both Gage and I love you.And I really fucking believe this is the kind of love you can keep.”
She slowly sits up, dragging the sheet with her to keep her chest covered.“I love you both.It’s a dream come true that you love me back, that you think this kind of love can last.”
A hollow emptiness takes residence in my chest.“But you don’t agree it will last?”
She bites her lip.Doesn’t speak.
* * *
Leah
I wake up with a man on either side of me.They each have a hand somewhere on my body—Dmitri sleeps behind me, the big spoon to my little, and he has an arm wrapped around my chest.Gage, in front of me, has one hand on my hip.
Last night was amazing.No other word for it.The whole “love doesn’t last forever” conversation afterward wasn’t the best.But before that?Amazing.I didn’t know it was possible to feel so defiled and so adored at the same time.
I have to shove the final conversation out of my head.They both said they love me.I love them, too.
But nothing lasts forever.Not life, not love.Nothing.
This kind of dreadful, empty-gut feeling can only be fixed with carbs and caffeine.The coffee shop down the block carries both.
I climb out of bed, careful not to wake them.I find a pair of jeans and a hoodie down the hall in my room.Then, I sneak out to the elevator and take it down to the lobby.
Bright sunlight fills the space, reflecting off the shiny marble floor.I peer out the giant windows, wondering if reporters or paparazzi are waiting outside, but there’s nothing.Whether or not Beryl Crake had a recording to share, nobody’s paying attention to me.
“Hey, you.”The male voice behind me is familiar.
I spin around to see Seth Colton in the lobby.I eye him warily but keep a polite smile on my face.“Oh, hey.”
He holds up his hands.“I swear I’m not stalking you.I live in this building, too.On Gage’s recommendation, actually.”
“Okay, cool.”I don’t want to piss off Gage by talking to Seth.Especially after Seth expressed interest in me.Unwelcome interest.
He blows out a breath, almost a sigh.“Look.Can we start over?I was an asshole.I realize that now.”
I take in his handsome face, his whiskered chin, his disarming smile.His greenish-brown eyes are sincere.But what really gets me is the hint of sadness within them.
“Okay,” I say.“I’m going to grab some coffee and breakfast to go.You can walk with me if you want.”
He checks his watch.“Yeah, I got twenty minutes before I have to meet my sisters for brunch.Let’s go.”
We make our way down the sidewalk.There’s some traffic along Caro, but the atmosphere is leisurely.No frantic rush, just a Sunday laziness.The sky is bright blue and the tall buildings gleam, throwing that brightness all around.
“Gorgeous day,” Seth says.
“Yeah.It really is.”I grin to myself.Dmitri and Gagebothlove me.I love them, too.We can worry about definitions of “forever” later.
