“It’s too dangerous right now,” he said.
“No,” Eli said. “What’s dangerous is pretending this is just sex.”
Dominic tensed.
Eli took a step forward. “You feel it too. Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not,” Dominic said. “I’m lying to myself.”
Eli laughed. Bitter, small. “And how’s that working out for you?”
Dominic didn’t reply.
Eli dropped his hand from Dominic’s arm and took a step back. “You want me to stop tempting you? Then stop making it so easy.”
He left before Dominic could say anything else.
But the silence in his wake was loud as hell.
***
That night, Eli didn’t go to Dominic’s room.
He didn’t leave his cracked door open, didn’t hover near the hallway, didn’t text.
He waited.
And when Dominic didn’t come…
He hated how much it hurt.
He didn’t cry.
But he wanted to.
Because Dominic had stopped pretending it didn’t mean anything, and now he was pretending he didn’t want more.
Eli rolled onto his side in the dark and stared at the wall.
His body still ached for Dominic.
But his chest ache
