Page 83 of Rebellious Hearts

I took a deep breath. I was on a roll, my tongue going without my brain’s input, and I’d squashed the little voice in my mind that screamed at me that I was being too open. I needed her to understand what all of this was about, and there was no other way for her to understand unless I told her.

“Sofia, I pretended we were married for the sake of the project, but what I’ve started to feel for you isn’t a game. It’s not pretend. This has all become real to me and…” I hesitated. Sofia’s eyes were locked on mine, her lips parted, and holy fuck, she was beautiful. Not just on the outside—where she was already a goddess—but on the inside, too. She was such a wonderful person. “Sofia, I’m falling for you.”

There, it was out there. I’d said the words I’d been so terrified to speak.

“Oh, my God, Ben,” Sofia said, and her mask cracked so that I saw an array of emotions on her face. I just couldn’t figure them out.

“Sorry about that,” Amy said, coming toward us. “That was ridiculous. We actually hung up on her.”

I glared at Amy, who stopped short in her rant. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Yeah,” I said at the same time as Sofia shook her head and said, “No.”

I frowned at her, but she turned away so that I couldn’t see her face.

“Sofia,” I started, but Luke came to me just as frustrated as Amy was.

“Can you get rid of your parents?” he asked. “Is there some kind of legal emancipation for adults?”

I was suddenly pissed off. “You just don’t answer their fucking calls, Luke,” I snapped.

He looked surprised, and then his face twisted in anger.

“Jesus, who pissed in your coffee?”

I looked at Sofia, who took a few steps away from me.

“No one,” I grumbled, and I marched in the opposite direction.

I had no idea where the hell I was going, but I just wanted to gosomewhere. I couldn’t just stand there like a fool after I’d told Sofia I was in love with her and she hadn’t said anything back. Ineveropened up like this. I never let anyone know how I really felt.

Hell, I never felt anything for anyone the way I felt for her.

Luke and Amy were like siblings to me, and I always loved having them around, but today, they were as fucking irritating to have with me as other people felt about their siblings because I just wanted to be alone with Sofia and find out what had changed between us.

Becausesomethinghad changed. One moment, she’d been sweet with me, and we’d been perfect together.

And now, she was distant with me, closed off. Somehow, I’d lost her even though she was right there, and I didn’t know why.

Had Amy said something to her? Had she said something to Amy?

I wanted to know but fucked if I was going to turn around and walk back there with my tail between my legs when I’d just had a tantrum like a child. No, my ego was still perfectly intact, thank you very much. I’d told Sofia it had been because of my ego that I’d told Richard we were together, but now that I’d told her how I felt about her and I hadn’t gotten an answer, that ego was bruised.

And for a man like me, who acted like I had nothing to lose, I had a hell of a lot to lose, and a part of me felt like I’d just lost it.

26

SOFIA

The hike back was awkward. Ben was in a mood, and I guess he had every reason to be. I hadn’t answered him, and I stayed clear of him now, keeping Amy between us or in the conversation with me at all times so that I didn’t have to have a deep conversation with him.

So that I didn’t have to respond to his confession.

Ben had told me he was falling for me.

And when he’d said that, my heart had nearly stopped.

It was the most romantic thing a girl could ever hear because I knew that Ben didn’t open up to anyone. Ben was all about the image, all about putting on a face and not showing what was underneath, and telling me that…