The Art of Falling Apart (It Girls Series #3)

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Mirae

I am still standing in between Eli's legs. The beautiful, beautiful boy who cope up with his problems with his humor and vices. The beautiful, beautiful boy who's a paradox on two legs. How could he be so conceited and arrogant and not believe in himself at the same time?

I hope to God to never lose you because I don't know if I could take it.

I don't know how he managed to say the only thing that's running inside my mind out loud.

I knew what it's like to have nothing.

I knew the pain of losing.

I knew what it's like to be alone.

"You're not going to lose me, Eli," is what I've said. "I'm scared, Eli," is what I didn't say.

Because I know the pain of having no one by your side. I know how the pain of fighting your battles alone and now that he's here... I'm so terrified of losing him. I'm terrified of losing the only man who looked at me like I'm beautiful after seeing all my scars.

I looked into his eyes. His bewitchingly beautiful brown eyes that has a little green dancing around his iris. They're beautiful... he's beautiful.

And the way he looks at me... it's beautiful as well. I love it when he looks at me— I live, I breathe, I radiate, I float, I fall, and I fly. I feel them all, all at once when he looks at me.

It's been fifteen solid seconds that felt like eternity.

He's still not speaking. He's just looking at me like I'm the most interesting thing in this room.

"Eli..." his name slips in a whisper from my lips.

He didn't say anything. He just looks at me, waiting for what I'm gonna say.

"You're looking at me like you want to kiss me," I say my inspection out loud and I felt the heat and red tainting both my cheeks.

He smiles. "I do... very much." He replies and I can almost feel his warm, minty, cinnamon breath fanning the skin of my face.

And his arms, his arms around my waist feels so warm and nice and home.

"But I'm not going to kiss you," he said and his words were like knives, murdering the hope that he ignited by admitting that he wanted to kiss me.

One corner of his lips curls up as his eyes catches the flash of disappointment that registered on my features. "It has to be you..." he said. "Because when we kiss... I have to be sure that you want it... that you want me... that I'm not taking advantage of you..." He continues and that stunned me for five solid seconds.

I kept on looking down his lips... swallowing... breathing... trying to control myself.

Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.

I hear the voice inside my head begs as I kept on watching his lips. But he said that he's not going to kiss me... and I'm not going to kiss him!

I'm not going to kiss him. I'm not going to kiss him. I'm not going to kiss him.

I hear the voice inside my head lies as I lose my pride and self-control... and maybe my dignity as well... because what I'm doing is contrary to the firm decision that I was screaming inside my head.

Because what I'm doing right now is looking at Eli in the eyes as I slowly leans in... closer and closer until my lips is pressed against his.

It takes only one collision of our lips for my bones to ignite and my blood to seethe.