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El pulled back.
He let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. She was so close to him, and it felt so right, and fuck, she was so beautiful. He had to force himself to look away every time she turned to him, at that neckline that exposed so much skin he could never get tired of seeing. Skin he was aching to touch and taste.
But she had been right in front of him, and she was touching him, and fire burned through his bones, and there was a sudden desire to say to hell with it and pull her close until they didn't know where each other began —
She cleared her throat, looking at anywhere but him.
Selfish, he roared to himself. He was fucking selfish.
She was someone else's.
And if these feelings fucked up his mind, then he couldn't even begin to imagine how it fucked up hers.
"Chase's going home in a couple of days," he decided to say.
El blinked. "What?"
"Mom and Dad just sent us a date last week." He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "It was an abrupt decision. I don't know if this is another ploy or if there's a motive somewhere, but it's set. I can't change it."
His heart tugged at the seams. He knew El had gotten used to Chase, the boy who showed compassion in his eyes, the boy who read college textbooks for fun. But they still had unresolved issues with their parents, and she knew this.
Seeing her face now, crushed with disappointment, he wished it wasn't true.
"I feel like I just met him yesterday," she whispered.
He followed her gaze, looking at Chase softly. "Me, too." Emotion was in his eyes, and he shut them briefly. "Maybe it's for the best. He can't stay here just because of me; he needs to get back home. He can't run away like I did."
"Maybe running away isn't a bad thing," she said quietly. "As long as you know your way back."
His body tensed, and he was silent for a while, not confirming if he agreed. Then, an intense, heavy feeling crackling, like the moment right before an explosion, when she asked:
