Page 101 of Chasing After You

Victoria had erased me.

I knew she hadn’t wanted me here, but seeing it so thoroughly confirmed in beige tones and minimalist furniture still hurt.

“She did this after I left?” I asked quietly.

Dorian nodded, his jaw tense. “The week after.”

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

My feet felt as if they were glued to the floor. Part of me wanted to yell, to tear the curtains down, to remind the room that Iexisted—but what would be the point?

Tears flooded my eyes as my throat tightened with an onslaught of emotion.

“It hurts,” I choked, still looking around the unfamiliar room.

“I never forgot,” he said, voice strained, as he wrapped me in a tight embrace. I laid my head on his shoulder, tears wetting the fabric of his coat. “I promise, Josh. Those eight years… I never went a single day without thinking of you. I’m so sorry it took me so long to find you.”

I let out a wet laugh. “I was the adult. I should’ve been looking for you. I should’ve done something.”

“Angel, look at me,” he whispered. I lifted my head from his shoulder and stood toe to toe with him. He smiled gently and cradled my face with his palms. “You were scared. I think for the entire time. You rebuilt your life, went to school, started driving, took over the cafe. All while terrified that something would happen and the rug would be pulled out from under your feet.”

“Dori… I love you. I’ve always loved you as my brother, and I never stopped. But this is more than that. Ilove-love you,” I cried.

Dorian closed the gap between us, pressing a butterfly-soft kiss to my lips.

I cried even harder because how could such a little peck convey so much emotion?

“I’velove-loved you the entire time.”

I snorted at the sappiness of his confession, closed my eyes, and let my forehead fall forward to meet his.

“Why did you bring me here, Dori?” I asked, taking a breath.

“To burn it all down.”

25

Dorian

Josh blinked, taking a step back in confusion. “What?”

“We’re going to burn the house down.”

“I don’t think I’m hearing you right.”

“I spoke to this guy in Paul’s club. He knows how to burn things right. Clean. Discreet. He gave me tips.” I kept my voice calm and gentle. “I asked him what makes a fire look accidental, how to avoid leaving forensic traces, what materials wouldn’t raise alarms. He walked me through everything.”

Josh’s mouth tightened. “You… you seriously want to burn the house down?”

I nodded. “This place simply shouldn’t exist any longer. I’ve been thinking about what to do with it since its ownership transferred to me. It’s not like we can live here. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He didn’t look convinced. “But how do we not get caught? We’rehere. It would bereallyobvious. Plane tickets, security cams, hotel records—hell, people could’ve seen us driving in. Isn’t arson a pretty serious crime? We can’t go to prison.”

“That’s exactly why wewon’tdo it while we’re supposed to be here.”

Josh just stared, bewildered. I stepped closer, stroking his bicep.