Page 98 of Bitter When He Begs

He feels different. It’s subtle, but I see it.

The way his shoulders are relaxed instead of being slightly hunched like he’s waiting for someone to say some shit about him. The way his chin tilts up a fraction higher like he’s not afraid of the eyes on him as he sits in my truck.

It’s a stupid thought, maybe even a little arrogant, but I can’t help but wonder if something about last night, about the way I held him, about the way I chose him, finally made him feel safe enough to stop bracing for impact.

The idea settles warm in my chest, spreading through me like a slow burn.

When I put the truck in park, Sage turns to me, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. “I probably won’t be able to hang out tonight,” he says, almost like he’s expecting me to argue. “I have a project for my film class that I need to get started on.”

I hate that. Not because he’s busy, but because I want to be around him all the fucking time. I’m a goddamn stage-five clinger at this point.

I try not to look as disappointed as I feel, but I know I fail because Sage’s lips twitch like he sees it. “You’ll live,” he teases, reaching for the door handle.

I grab his wrist before he can open it, tugging him back toward me. “Debatable,” I say and he rolls his eyes, but his blush betrays him. I just nod, forcing myself to be chill about it. “What’s the project?”

Sage huffs a quiet laugh. “Just some editing work. Nothing exciting.”

I hum, pretending to think. “I dunno, baby. Watching you work sounds pretty exciting to me.”

His face heats, and he glares at me, shoving my shoulder. “Stop.”

I grin and tug him closer. “What, I’m not allowed to hype up my boyfriend?”

Sage groans, but he doesn’t actually pull away. I lean in, pressing my lips to his, and taking my time just to feel him melt for me. His fingers twitch against my hoodie before he pulls back, cheeks pink but not hiding like he normally would.

I like that.

I like all of this.

“Text me later.”

He huffs, looking away. “Yeah, yeah.”

I grin, nudging his chin up with my fingers. “That’s‘yes, Luca.’”

He rolls his eyes but mutters, “Yes, Luca,” before slipping out of the truck and disappearing onto campus. I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

All I want to do is spend the whole fucking day with him, but I can’t take up all of his time, even if I want to.

So, I shove down the ridiculous urge to follow him and go about my day as normal, pushing through classes, ignoring the whispers about the quarterback and the nerd, letting my body go numb to the noise that doesn’t matter.

The only thing that really matters is practice.

Coach is pissed about our last game, drilling us harder than usual, making us run plays over and over until our legs are dead, our bodies screaming for relief.

By the time we’re all drenched in sweat, grabbing water bottles and catching our breaths on the sidelines, Eli nudges me with a smirk.

“So…” He drawls, stretching his arms behind his head. “You and your boyfriend…”

Julian snickers from behind me. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

I roll my eyes, grabbing my water bottle. “You assholes act like I’ve never dated before.”

Eli grins. “You haven’t.”

I shoot him a look. “Bullshit.”

“No, no—” he waves a hand. “You’ve hooked up. You’ve fucked around. But an actual relationship? This is new.”