Page 65 of Challenge Me

His eyes were incredibly soft. Truly, he was a sight to behold, not only for what was on the outside.

“Amir—”

He took both sides of my neck gently and dipped his head without skipping a beat. I pressed my palms against the wall behind me as his lips met mine. At first, they were firm, then they softened remarkably. It felt like he melted into me, and my mind conjured ridiculous words that enticed me to open up to him.

Your touch is my salvation, trembling on the brink,

A chalice brimming black with doubt and fire.

I clutch it close, though every sip, I think,

May spell the end of all that I desire.

“Why are you kissing me when this isn’t real?” I asked, my expression blank and my voice controlled.

His gaze moved across my face. “It could be, you know.”

He spoke the words as soft as sunlight, and I flinched, pulling back to the shadows while I tried to breathe air that didn’t smell like him. His fingers traveled up to my face, and his thumbs traced my cheekbones.

“You’re being sentimental.”

His brow tightened. “You don’t think this could become something real?”

When I snorted, the peace he’d walked in with started to fracture, and I assessed him carefully. “No.”

He dragged his teeth over his lower lip slowly. When he released it, it sprang forward and the blood rushed back into it.

The way his hand suddenly moved away from my face made me clench my teeth, my entire body going rigid. It fell to his side, and I stretched out my neck to shake off the reaction.

“I guess you’re good at pretending,” he said. “Better than me.”

I lifted one shoulder. “I pretend to care for a living. From broken hearts to broken families, all kinds of characters come for more than just a drink.”

“Right. That makes sense.” Clearing his throat, he moved back a few steps. “We’ll keep pretending a little while longer, then. If you’re okay with that.”

“Whatever works for you. This is your whole thing.”

With a nod, he headed for the bathroom. I watched as he pulled his shirt off and held it tightly. He left the door cracked slightly, and I heard the shower turn on a moment later.

I dropped my forehead onto my hands and slid down the wall again. The idea of sleeping in here with him was undesirable at best. It was only one night, though. I could manage that.

I pulled out my phone to finally call Oli back. He was mad at me for being ‘piss-poor at communication.’ Par for the course. We usually talked daily—texts at minimum—but meaningful conversation wasn’t always on the menu. It probably needed to be after everything that had happened in this gods-forsaken state.

“Bro,” he answered. “What the hell is your deal?”

“No deal. Just busy existing in a dreadful world full of false gods and worse poets.”

“Ah, you’ve gone existential. No wonder you’ve been ignoring me.” He faked a sniffle. “My heart hurts.”

“Sure it does, buddy.”

“There’s a story about Amir’s family online.”

I groaned and knocked my head back against the wall. “Seriously? This bitch works quick.”

“You looked good at the game, though. She caught you smiling.”

“Oh.”