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He chuckles. “Fuck it. I’m just gonna ask. Have you talked to Eli since you’ve been on break?”

I’m honestly surprised he’s asking. I did leave that day, so I really only told Charlie, and she and Beck were a day behind me, so it sounds like she didn’t tell anyone, including my brother, that we broke up.

“No, I haven’t.” I sniff. “We actually broke up before I left.”

“Before you left? Were you broken up when I saw you at the library?”

“He came over on Friday before I left, and we broke up.”

He huffs a laugh.

“What?” I ask.

“Did he break up with you, or did you break up with him?”

“Why does it matter?” I laugh dryly.

“Because if he broke up with you, he’s a bigger idiot than I thought. But if you broke up with him, well, that’s pretty fucking fantastic.” He barks out a laugh.

His laugh makes me smile.

“I broke up with him.”

He pulls in a breath. “Good. He didn’t deserve you.”

“Thanks, Silas. That’s sweet of you to say.” I look at the time and see it’s three minutes to midnight. I breathe in. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Yeah, it is.”

We’re both quiet for a minute.

I break the silence first. “I guess I’ll let you go. We’re leaving in the morning, so I should probably get some sleep.”

“Can you hang on until midnight?” he says quietly.

If I looked at myself in the mirror, I would probably see pink in my cheeks. “Okay. I can wait.”

“I have a confession to make.” His deep voice sounds even deeper.

“Oh? Tell me. Or maybe I don’t want to know.” I try to act like I don’t care, but I so do.

“I wish I were with you tonight. I wish I could kiss you at midnight instead of being on the phone with you. I’ll settle for this. For now. But, Brooke?” He pauses.

“Yeah?” I breathe.

“Next year, when the clock strikes midnight, it’ll be my lips you kiss. I promise you that,” he practically growls.

I’m literally speechless as heat flows through me at the thought of kissing him again.

Fireworks startle me out of my haze, and I look at the time on my phone. Midnight.

“Happy New Year, Brooke,” he says softly.

“Happy New Year, Silas,” I reply with a whisper.

I can’t sleep. After we hung up, I tried reading my book, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

With a huff, I get out of bed and head to the door. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea will help me relax and get some sleep.