Page 56 of When We Ignite

Oliver bit his cheek, hesitating. “E, is there something going on between you two?”

I stiffened. “No.”

“Have you two been talking? Seeing each other?” he pressed.

I nodded reluctantly.

“Fuck,” he breathed out, his head falling forward slightly.

“You’ve been there too,” I pointed out weakly.

“I meant without us, E.”

I nodded again. “A couple of times.”

“You like him, don’t you?” he asked, his tone laced with a quiet resignation.

“Yeah, he’s…all right,” I said, my voice betraying the lie.

“No, I mean youlikehim,” he pressed. “That kind of like.”

Heat crept up my neck as I nodded, unable to look at him. “I’m sorry,” I muttered.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it,” he said, standing.

“There’s nothing to fix,” I tried, but he only shook his head.

“Try to sleep,” he said, brushing it off as he walked toward the door.

I closed my eyes, but sleep didn’t come. The room was spinning too much, and my thoughts were a tangled mess of Sebastian—his voice, his hands, the way he’d looked at me.

That had been so close.

CHAPTER TEN

ETHAN

Iwoke up what felt like three minutes later, feeling like absolute crap. My stomach churned, and I barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up again. Crawling back into bed, I tried to sleep it off. The next time I woke, sunlight streamed through the window. It was closer to noon.

Dragging myself into the shower, I scrubbed off the remnants of the night and did my best to look less terrible than I felt. When I finally ventured downstairs, most of them were out on the terrace. I made a beeline for the kitchen, desperate for coffee and something to settle my stomach.

“Good morning, sunshine,” came Sebastian’s unmistakable voice.

I turned to see him leaning against the counter, smirking. I glared weakly, and he laughed.

“Not feeling so hot?” he teased, the smugness in his tone grating and somehow endearing all at once.

I grunted in response as he strolled to the fridge.

“I’ve been better,” I admitted, leaning against the counter for support.

Sebastian, of course, looked effortlessly perfect. His dark-blue linen shirt and crisp white shorts seemed made for him. The memory of last night flashed through my mind, and my face burned.

He returned with a beer in hand, placing it beside me. “Trust me on this,” he said, pushing it toward me with a knowing smile.

I sighed, eyeing the bottle warily before picking it up and taking a sip. It wasn’t as terrible as I’d expected.

“All of it,” he encouraged.