“Gods, yes,” he groaned and kissed the top of my head.
“Even though I…”
Didn’t reciprocate what he had done for me…
Sensing what I meant, he tilted my chin up towards him. “Everything wasperfect. We can try other things the next time if you would like to. But you were perfect.“ He kissed my forehead, and I snuggled close.
“Thank you for coming today,” I said, and I felt him try to hold in a laugh. “That’s not what I meant, you goof.” I pinched his side, and he pinched me back. “I’ve never gone to that festival with anyone other than my mother. It was…” I sighed. “So nice. I hope you had fun, too.”
“More fun than I have ever had, save for this, of course.” His lazy circles ceased as he squeezed me tight.
I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, the warmth from his body lulling me to sleep.
“Can you spend the night?” I whispered.
He kissed my forehead again. “I wish I could…but if I don’t want to get caught by my parents, I’ll need to be in my bed before morning.”
I tilted my head up towards him. “They think you’re home?”
“Well, my father does. My mother knows, but I said I’d be home by midnight.” He glanced at my clock, which read 1:43 a.m. “So, I don’t want to get in trouble with her, either.”
I clenched my jaw and looked down.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to be a secret forever, Quill,” I said quietly.
He stilled for a moment. “I don’t want you to be either, believe me.”
“I know you say you don’t care what your father thinks, but if that were so, wouldn’t you just bring me over and that be that?”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“How so?”
He flexed his jaw, and I sat up, holding the sheet over my chest.
“You still won’t tell me, will you?” I asked in disbelief.
“Lena, I—”
I shook my head incredulously, then laid on my side of the bed with my back to him.
“Please don’t be angry with me,” he pleaded, and I could hear the hurt in his voice.
“You say you love me…but you keep me a secret from everyone. I don’t even know which house you live in. Do your friends even know about me?”
He hesitated. “Well, it’s—”
“Don’t lie,” I said sternly as I turned over to face him.
He sighed. “No, they don’t. Like I said, It’s complicated.”
“So, tell me.”
He was silent.
“Quill—”
