Preacher Man // ross lynch + driver era

86

It's as though my natural reactions took over and my hand is immediately sliding up his chest, gripping him closer to me. His lips are warm and his tongue tastes of his usual mint. His hands grip my hips, kissing me harder. I need him closer.

Holy fuck, he has a girlfriend.

I pull my lips down, separating us from the intimate moment. "Danielle," I whisper in realization. "We can't... we can't do this."

Ross shakes his head. "Hayley, please," he begs, his face still close to mine. "It'll only ever be you."

I did not come here to hook up with him.

I came here to celebrate Rydel's birthday and I've disappeared. Now here I am, kissing my ex-boyfriend who is in a relationship with another woman.

Although the words he spoke sent shivers down my spine, I have to stand my ground.

Don't I?

I pat my hand against his chest and slide myself out from between the wall and him. "It's not fair to her," I say, trying to distance myself from him although I want nothing more than to feel his touch.

"She knows it's all fake, that it's only a contract. Please, Hayley, please," he begs and I'm convinced he's going to drop down to his knees in a moment. His breathing is rapid as his eyes look for any sign of agreement on my face.

I reach my hand out to him, grabbing onto his fingers. "We can't. We need to talk first before anything else. Not here. Someone can walk in," I say, squeezing the top of his fingers softly like a child would.

Ross nods. "Okay. How long are you here until?" He asks, his hand twisting around so he can interlock our fingers.

"Sunday," I confirm.

He nods more. "Okay, great. I'll figure out some time and we can meet. I need to talk to you." His eyes glance once more toward my lips before letting go of my hand.

As he goes to walk back out the door, I grab onto his hand once more. He stops and looks back at me with questioning eyes before I make two long strides over to him, wrapping my arms around his stomach.

"I just missed you a lot," I whisper the confession, my head buried into his chest.

His arms are tight and comforting around me, making me feel cold and empty once he releases them all too soon. "I missed you more. I'll see you back out there," he says, winking at me once before heading out of the door.

Fuck, what the hell just happened?

I didn't want any of this to occur before, but now it's all that I want.

I have craved him everyday since the day he walked out. From the phone calls to the journals about how badly I missed him, I have wanted nothing more than to be around him even platonically.

I wait a few minutes, fixing up my hair and my makeup before I go back out. As soon as I walk out, I see Riker headed this way. "Hey!" He says. "I didn't know you'd be here," he said, leaning down to hug me.

I smile. "Hi! Yeah, last second decision. How are you?"

"I'm great, actually. I have a girlfriend," he informs, a smile taking over his face.

I nod. "Good for you. Is she here?"

Riker glances over to Rydel's group. "Yeah, she's the Italian one. Her name is Vanni."

"No shit," I say. "I only talked to her briefly, but she seems amazing."

He nods, the smile still wide on his face with pride. "She is. But hey, I'm about to run to the bathroom. I'll catch up with you in a few."