No Expectations

Chapter Twenty-Three

Emilia

My heart hammered unbelievably hard in my chest as Stephen hovered over me. I caught a whiff of his manly scent and stared into his beautiful soft blue eyes. I missed his touch. I didn't want to live another day without being in his arms. I didn't care what my parents thought. I didn't care what anyone thought.

The way I felt when he looked into my eyes was right. Mentally apologizing to Cam for ruining our date, I stepped up on my tippy-toes. My lips pushed against his like they never left. Like our week and a half apart had never happened. My hands gripped his blazer as he returned my kiss.

He held my face as gentle as could be as he tilted his head, deepening our kiss. Stepping as close as I could, our bodies touched. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I melted away. My hands slid up and around his neck while one hand went into my hair and the other wrapped around my back.

Our lips turned desperate. We kissed like we'd been apart for years. We kissed like we'd never want to be apart again. We kissed in a way that felt right, and I knew then that I loved him. This was what real love felt like.

Once we pulled away, Stephen placed his forehead against mine, and we stared into each other's eyes. "Be with me," he said softly, his breath hitting my lips.

"I'm too young for you."

He shook his head against mine. "You're not too young for me. You're perfect. I was stupid. Please take me back."

A pause. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Yes. Do you want to be with me?"

"Of course. It's all I think about."

"Me too." He kissed me again. We kissed for what felt like minutes. I wanted this and him. I wanted it to be real. I wanted to be good enough, and he made me feel that I was.

We pulled away again, and he hugged me close to him. I rested my head against his chest. "I guess my date's ruined."

"I guess so," he whispered in my hair. "Sorry about that. Should I break the news to him that you're coming home with me?"

My eyes widened as I pulled back and looked up at him. He was smiling which made me feel at ease, like going back to how we were would be easy. "What about Layla?"

He shrugged. "I'm okay with it if you are. I'm serious about you this time. I don't want to let you go again. I'll deal with the judgment from your parents. I'll deal with the whispers and the comments. I don't care anymore. I want to be with you."

Slowly, I nodded. "Yes. I don't care either." I smiled again. "Layla's beautiful."

"Thank you," he whispered then pushed his lips to mine again. He pulled away too quick. "Really, though, do you want me to talk to your date?"

I shook my head. "No. Go join your family. I'll talk to him."

"I won't leave without you."

A smirk. "Okay." We locked lips again before we walked back to the door, holding hands. He left my side as soon as we walked back in and joined his family where they looked at us with wide eyes. Even Layla had a hint of what was going on.

Cam sat at our table with his phone in his hands. He'd dressed up for our date with the buttoned white shirt and combed hair. I sat down next to him. "Hey, so bad news-"

"You got back together with your boyfriend?" he asked, locking his phone before putting it back into his pocket. I blinked at him as he smiled. "I went outside to check on you and saw what was going on. Congrats."