Page 49 of Unwritten Rules (The Sunburnt Hearts #1)

Sinnett’s eyes meet mine, and my heart stutters in my chest. The stress behind them is evident, and I wish so badly I could take some of that pressure so it’s less for him to hold on to. But I know it’s not possible, so all I can do is remind him of what’s important—himself.

“You’re right,” he murmurs, nodding slowly. “Sometimes I get so lost in my head that I forget I need to look after myself.”

“Well, I’m always going to be right here whenever you need a reminder.”

Sinnett smiles, bright and genuine. “How do you do it?”

The question catches me off guard. All I can do is blink. “Do what?”

“Stay so positive all of the time.”

A smile touches my lips. “My mum. She was the most positive person I knew. I don’t know how, but she could turn any negative into a positive by asking me to look on the bright side of things.

If I didn’t get a good grade in school, she would remind me that at least I got up, went to school and took the test. Even if it wasn’t the mark I was expecting, I still put in the effort, and that’s all that mattered. ”

I glance to the left at the framed photo of me and Mum at my year twelve graduation.

She spent weeks searching for the perfect dress, and when she found it, she was so excited she couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.

Black always looked stunning on her, making her orange hair pop and emerald eyes sparkle.

No matter what room she walked into, Mum could demand attention from any person near without so much as lifting a finger or flashing her award-winning smile.

She had no idea of the devastating news she would receive a week late about her cancer diagnosis.

“No matter what I did, if a negative came from it, Mum was there to remind me of the positives. And, I don’t know… I guess it has stuck with me through the years. It’s easier to stay positive than get dragged down by the negatives, especially when you can’t control it.”

“You said was ,” Sinnett murmurs, breaking me from the memories resurfacing of my mum. “Is she…?”

I swallow around the lump forming in my throat and drop my gaze to the hem of my tank top.

I wasn’t planning on talking about my mum because it’s not something that comes easy to me.

But when I’m with Sinnett, the carefully constructed walls I had built two years ago come crashing down in an instant.

It’s as if my body and mind are eager to pull him closer, to reveal to him the deepest parts of me without my say so.

“She passed away two years ago from ovarian cancer.” My voice is barely above a whisper, thick with grief.

Tears spring to my eyes when images of her lying in the hospital bed the night she left us appear, replaying in my mind like a home movie, reminding me of everything I have lost. The one person who knew me better than anyone else. And suddenly, she was gone.

Sinnett hisses out a sharp breath and shoves his hand through his messy hair. “Shit, Tate. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

I shake my head, lifting my eyes to his.

“You don’t need to apologise. I don’t mind talking about her, it’s just—” I exhale a shaky breath and lift my shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.

“I miss her a lot. And being here in Sydney without her reminds me of everything she missed out on when she had me. She never got to travel the world like she had always dreamed of, nor did she ever become a psychologist because she was too busy raising me. If she just had more time?—”

Tears burst from my eyes, but I’m quick to wipe them away, not wanting Sinnett to see me in this state. He has enough on his plate to deal with, he doesn’t need me crying to top it off.

“Tate, you can talk about her,” he says, voice a soothing chill to the fire licking at my side.

Dark eyebrows raise, and I find myself tracing the shape of them with my eyes, noticing how they kink perfectly at the edges without a professional having to shape them.

“If you find yourself wanting to tell me about her because she springs to mind, then do it. You have listened to enough of my shit over the past couple of weeks, so the least I can do is return the favour.”

And now tears are forming for a different reason.

Sinnett doesn’t need to be as kind and caring as he is.

We’re… whatever we are, which doesn’t come with the burden of my fears and grief, but he’s willing to let me bare it all to him and he’ll listen .

Granted, I do the same for him, which has me wondering if what we are is more than just a casual hook up.

Now is not the right time to bring out that can of worms.

“I’m here, Tate,” Sinnett says, voice firm with not a hint of hesitation. “Whatever you need from me, I’ll gladly give it to you. I’m all yours.”

I smile through the tears and nod. “And I’m all yours.”

Sinnett grins. “That you are.”

A wave of exhaustion rolls through me, our earlier activity finally catching up to me. Yawning, I stretch my arm above my head and settle back under the covers, the heat fuelling my body dissipating.

“Tired?” Sinnett questions.

I pull the doona up to my chin and nod, eyelids heavy. “Yeah, finally.”

“Okay, I’ll let you go?—”

“Can you stay on the phone until I fall asleep?” I mumble, sleep trickling up through my toes, threatening to consume me. “Please?”

A heartbeat of silence is followed by Sinnett’s deep voice saying, “I’m not going anywhere, Tate. You’re safe with me.”

To his credit, I believe his words as I drift into a weightless slumber, fuelled with images of him and the memories we share.

Even as I’m falling into the darkness, my gut spikes with fear—a warning that something bad is coming my way. And I’m helpless to stop it.