The Illusion (Book Two in The Illusion of Certainty Series)

Kiss Me Slowly

“Why would you say that?” I asked, sitting up.

“Georgiana, your life would be infinitely simpler if you’d never even met me. You would have been able to fall in love with…the boy without complications. You would be happy.”

I shook my head. “My life was never supposed to be happy. If I’d never met you, I probably would have died that day in the cafeteria or the time before that with the drylock. If you weren’t around, if you weren’t in my life I would already be dead, ten times over.”

“What I’m trying to say is I’m a complication. The fact that we…love each other is a complication.”

“Things happen, Michael, all the time. I don’t know why they do, or how, but they do. And more times than not, they happen to good people. I don’t regret falling in love with you, I just don’t like how complicated it is and has to be. I don’t like the fact that you are so close but I can’t have you. And part of that is my fault, hell more than part. It’s just not fair and I want to know why it has to be this way.”

“Αγάπη, calm down.”

My jaw snapped closed. I hated when he called me that, it was cheating. I glared at him. He looked down at my bare feet. I’d managed to change while Max talked at me about my destiny and how I was screwing it up. He hadn’t touched bare skin yet. He made sure he didn’t while his arm was resting over my ankles.

But now he looked like he was contemplating it.

“Michael…”

“Why’d you do it?” He looked up at me. “Why’d you sleep with him?”

That was the first time he’d asked me that. I blinked at him.

“What?”

“Why did you do it? Was it pity, spur of the moment, love? Why did you do it?”

I stared at him. “There’s no easy answer for that.”

His hand grabbed my ankle. Don’t lie to me. Why did you do it?

Stop it, Michael.

You wanted to talk about this before. We have time. Tell me.

I couldn’t come up with anything and I tried not to think. But I went over everything before hand. I started with the moment I told my brother I wasn’t going to Formal.

I stared at Michael while the night played out in my head.

Everyone had tried to get me to go but it was Michael’s note that finally convinced me to do it. And then Aidan showed up at my door, dressed in his tux. The night fast forwarded to the conversation I had with him in the lobby. I stopped it the instant he said what I’d wanted to hear from him and from Michael.

 I told you I loved you, I still do. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize…Ana, I’d wait for you forever if I have to.

That was it. I’d wanted someone who was willing to wait through everything. Someone who wanted me forever and wasn’t afraid of waiting and dealing with the few bumps in the road that came along.

Michael closed his eyes and his face looked sad. I read in his mind that he understood now.

All you had to do was stay. I said to him. That’s all. He was willing. You…let your ego get in the way.

He looked up at me, his eyes full of tears. If I’d stayed…

I would have given anything to be with you. I was at the point that I didn’t care what everyone else thought. It didn’t matter anymore. I just wanted you. But I had to settle.