Page 114 of Lilah

No one talks to anyone and I wish they had hangovers all the fucking time. We land in Nashville and split from there. Most of the guys go home. I go to Mr. Terrip's.

Walking in the front, I'm met by the frail old man that Azalea loves so much. He peers up at me from his desk.

"Your Azalea is near the back," he nods to the back of the store.

My Azalea.

I see the back of her as she picks up a handful of books, rearranging them on the shelf that is eye level with her.

My heart does weird shit when she lightly shakes those fucking hips.

She turns suddenly and the books fly out of her hands. She shimmies happily when she sees me before extending her arms out, a wide smile on her face.

Her body finally touches mine.

"Did you miss me, Sugar?" Thatdamnname passes her lips. It pisses me off how easily that name can make me get goosebumps.

I'm pretty fucking sure I did miss her. I just give her a little nod to which she giggles.

"C'mere," her hand falls to my back and I'm put in a fucking trance when her bottom lip rolls into her mouth.

"Did you catch your bad guy-fella?" she questions, sitting down on a couch in a clearing of the shelves, pulling me down with her.

"Or girl!" She says suddenly.

"I could just as easily be a wanted person. I've done so many illegal things, it isn't even funny," I watch her intently as she talks. The fact that she talks so much used to annoy the living shit out of me. Now I just like the sound of her voice.

And the wild shit that comes out of her mouth.

God, why did I miss her so much?

"Why are you being so quiet?" she asks, tilting her head in curiosity. A blonde lock falls across her face and barely a second passes before I'm getting it out of the way, scowling at how it was covering her from me.

"When do I ask for you to be my girlfriend?"

Being so close to her, I feel the intake of air she breathes in when I ask the question.

"I'm just slightly confused on why it is that you still want to be...um," she hesitates, "with me?"

Hell if I know. In case she hasn't fucking noticed, I've never been in an actual relationship.

I steered clear of the whole relationship thing. If you can't treat a girl right, why put her through your shit? But I can't fucking stay away from the girl in front of me. And I hope to God she's already been through the worst of my shit.

I'm learning. I watch the ways she talks to me and I try my hardest to mimic the softness. Except for times when I get pissed off.

I've gotten my first fit of jealousy. Still haven't gotten over it actually.

I'mdrawnto her. So fucking drawn to her and I don't know why. My hands always need to be on her. I always need to see her. And I'm pretty fucking happy hearing her voice.

I look down at my hands that lay on the smooth skin of her bare thighs.

"Whenever you would want," she explains. I stay quiet.

"Don't ask me now," she blurts, "I'm a simple child, but I'd rather be asked without knowing you're going to ask me."

"You're not a child," I grumble.

"Right."