Page 32 of Becoming Us

My stomach churned.

A knock rattled the door. “Noah? You in there?”

The kiss broke. He lingered close, breath fanning over my lips. His hand was still tight in my hair.

River let out a huff of a laugh, eyes scanning my face with something like satisfaction. “I’ll be expecting your text.” He ran the pad of his thumb across my lips.

Then he stepped back, and my head lolled without his support. I watched as he adjusted himself, then unlocked the door.

Holly stood right outside, glaring at him. I tried to walk out, but she pushed me back inside and closed the door behind her. The look on her face nearly wrecked me—equal parts fear and concern.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing.”

It was like living in a fucking hamster wheel.

How did you fuck up this time, Noah? What did you do?

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Just shut up. Stop being such a whiny b?—

“Noh, that guy has been looking at you all night like he’s ready to eat you. What did he do?”

I dragged my hands through my hair and gripped tight. “Holly, I just want to go,” I said, voice cracking.

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. Fuck. My vision blurred as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“I just want to go.”

“Do you want me to take you home?”

I shook my head. “Somewhere safe.”

She wiped my face with her hands, but the tears kept falling. She was crying now too. She looked so upset.

And I’d done that. I dragged her here, forced her to take care of me.

All you do is take, take, take.

That hollow ache in my chest widened. A black hole. Ever growing.

Why won’t it stop?

How the fuck do I make it stop?

CHAPTER

FIVE

AFTER

Ezra Tate was moving into my apartment today.