AMBY AWARDS TOP PICK 2023 ❤️
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"You think I can't act like I'm into you?" He asks in a whisper. He reaches out, and strokes a finger down my cheek, and I feel myself shiver at the touch.
"You think I can't convince everyone that I have f...
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I feel strong. I feel empowered. I feel . . .
Utterly miserable.
Walking over to my dressing table, I stare at myself in the mirror. I urge myself not to cry, and - amazingly - my body obeys me for a fucking change.
Calm, Abby. Stay calm.
I pick up a brush and run it through my hair, which is somehow still glamorously wavy after hours of dancing, then start to remove my earrings.
Rap rap.
My ears prick up. DidI imagine that knock at my door?Is it merely wishful thinking?
But then I hear it again. "Come in?" I say tentatively.
In the mirror, I watch Ric step into the room. This is the first time he's been in here. "I'm sorry," he says. "I know I've been a nightmare."
He pauses behind me, so close I can feel the heat of his body. Our reflected eyes meet, and hold as I remove the second earring and reach behind me to unclip my necklace.
"Let me," he whispers, and my hands drop to my sides as if he's controlling my mind. He sweeps my hair to one side to expose my neck, and then I feel his fingers on my skin.
I shiver.
"I did want to talk about us," he says softly. "The reason I didn't want to discuss it while we were still at the wedding was because I wanted us both to have a clear head, in case you were still thinking that our date was fake. I thought it was best to keep it separate."
"Couldn't you just have said that at the time?" I ask.
"You didn't really give me much of a chance," he shrugs. "And I didn't want to have the conversation in the taxi either." He drops the necklace on the table in front of me, then lightly rests his hands on my waist. "I do want this, Abby. It fucking terrifies me though."
"Why?" I have to ask. We haven't stopped watching each other in the mirror.
"Because for some reason, being around you, being with you, makes me happier than I've ever been." He lowers his eyes as he says this, biting his lower lip. "And I don't know how to deal with that because I didn't believe another person would really ever have the power to make me feel that way."
Yep. See that melted heap of goo on the floor? That's my heart right now.
"I like you. A lot," he adds, hot breath fanning my neck. "I want this, pretty much more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. And tonight just cemented that for me. I meant it when I said I couldn't resist you." His eyes meet mine again in the mirror, and I can see the vulnerability there, the longing. My breath catches in my throat at the sheer desire in his expression. "Will you give me another chance?"
