CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
| AMELIE | 18 years old
| MANHATTAN, NY |
The next morning felt unusually quiet.
Amelie stirred awake in Vinnie's bed, wrapped in a hoodie that didn't belong to her but smelled exactly like him. The way his scent lingered on her skin made her chest ache in a confusing, warm sort of way.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes, the remnants of yesterday's dream still clinging to her mind like static. Every time she glanced at Vinnie, the guilt tugged at her gut even though she hadn't done anything in real life.
Not really.
But it still felt real. Her lips tingled like they remembered Dax's kiss from that dream. She hated it.
She shuffled out of bed, padded quietly down the hallway, and peeked into the kitchen. Vinnie wasn't there. Her brows pinched together.
"Vinnie?" she called, voice hoarse.
"In the garage!" he shouted back.
She opened the door and saw him fiddling with something at the back of his car. The way he jumped slightly and slammed the trunk shut didn't go unnoticed.
"What are you hiding?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Nothing," he said too quickly. His voice cracked slightly, which only made her grin widen.
"Liar," she muttered, walking toward him.
He caught her waist and pulled her close. "Why don't you mind your business, huh?"
Her laugh was short but full of warmth. "If it involves you, then it is my business."
Vinnie kissed her forehead but didn't say anything. He looked like he wanted to, though—like there was something sitting on his tongue just waiting for the right moment to fall off.
And that moment wasn't now.
⸻
| DAX | 20 years old
| BROOKLYN, NY |
Dax couldn't get her out of his head.
He sat on the edge of his bed, tapping his knee anxiously, replaying the dream version of Amelie confessing her love for him. The thing was... dream or not, it felt real because it was a mirror of everything he'd been holding in for years.
His phone buzzed. It was a text from her.
"Are you busy today? I need to talk to you. Just... talk."
He stared at it for a long time.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard before he typed back:
"Come through. You know where I'll be."
If she came over, he told himself he'd keep his distance. Be the friend she always needed. The protector. The safe place. But deep down, Dax knew he was already in too deep.
⸻
| AMELIE | 18 years old
| MANHATTAN, NY → BROOKLYN, NY |
She shouldn't be doing this.
She told herself that over and over again as she drove across the bridge. But Vinnie had gone out with his cousin, and she couldn't get rid of the dream unless she saw Dax in real life and reminded herself of reality.
It wasn't supposed to be complicated.
She was in love with Vinnie. She was happy. Right?
But Dax... Dax was a different kind of love. He was the shadow in the back of her heart, the one who never left. The one who held her together before she even knew what love was.
She knocked on his door twice, heart hammering. When he opened it, he looked like he hadn't slept either.
"You look like hell," she said softly.
"You look like heaven," he replied without missing a beat.
Amelie rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her.
⸻
They sat in silence for a while on his couch, the weight between them heavier than any words.
"I had a dream," she finally said.
Dax didn't respond. He waited.
"You kissed me in it," she added. "And we—never mind."
"I had the same dream," Dax whispered.
Her breath caught.
"I didn't know if I was crazy or what," he continued, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "But I woke up and still felt you on my skin."
Amelie gripped the edge of the couch.
"I love Vinnie," she said quickly.
"I know you do," he nodded. "But you love me too. Don't lie to yourself."
She closed her eyes. "Why does it feel like I'm betraying someone no matter what I do?"
"Because you are," Dax said gently. "But love isn't always clean."
When she opened her eyes again, there were tears there. "I can't be the reason you two keep hurting each other."
"Then don't choose yet," Dax told her. "Figure yourself out first."
Amelie blinked.
That was the last thing she expected him to say.
"I'm not going anywhere," he added. "But don't pick either of us until you know who you are without us."
And for the first time in days, Amelie felt like she could breathe.
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