Chapter 10

Emily - YEARS AGO

“OH MY GOD!” Bete screamed for the thousandth time. “I can’t believe you slept with Marcos.”

“Keep it down, you lunatic. And no, I didn’t sleep with him…” Despite not wanting to spill all this at school, my excitement got the better of my willpower.

“In the literal sense, yeah, it happened,” she whispered, hitting a dramatic tone.

“We spent the night together, that’s all,” I whispered back. I didn’t want the whole school to know—not because I was ashamed of what I’d done, but because girls who hooked up with Marcos became a “target” for other guys. It was crazy how every other guy suddenly noticed you after that. Deep down, I wanted to scream to everyone that we’d spent the night together. “He kissed me, held me… it was amazing.”

“Okay, okay, little lovebird, slow down, Emy. You know Marcos isn’t the dating type. Don’t start getting your hopes up. I don’t want you to get hurt. As hot as he is, he’s not worth you suffering over him.”

I’d already accepted that, after a day, he’d probably forgotten everything as easily as changing clothes. But deep down, I wished it wasn’t like that.

“So, you hooked up with my brother?” Bianca showed up, speaking before even saying hi. “Don’t try to deny it. The whole school’s talking about it.”

“I’m not denying it,” I started hesitantly. “But I don’t get why you’re so mad.”

“You promised! You promised this wouldn’t ruin our friendship, and now it will!” she said softly, though her voice trembled.

That was Bi. No matter how upset she was, you’d never see her yelling.

“And I didn’t break that promise. You’re my friend, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” I swore, one of the truest things I’d carry with me forever. “Besides, I’d given up hope of anything happening between us a long time ago—you know that. I didn’t plan this. When he kissed me, I was as shocked as you guys.”

“I love my brother, but he’s a player when it comes to girls,” Bi repeated her mantra to me and any girl who wanted to get involved with him. “And I don’t want to see you crying over him. I’d have to hate him, and I don’t know if I’d be good at that.”

Bianca was definitely the sweetest person on the planet.

“We’d have to hate him!” Bete emphasized. “And I’m very much into snagging that cowboy friend of his, so let’s not ruin this before it even starts, okay, girls?” Bete made her intentions clear.

“It’s not happening. Marcos has probably already forgotten everything, so we should all do the same—and so should the rest of the school.” I turned to Bete, already feeling sorry for the poor cowboy. “And you need to stop playing games with Carlos. He’s head over heels for you.”

“The more I string him along, the more interested he’ll get,” she murmured while typing a text.

“Her plan is to torture the poor guy, and then when she gets what she wants, she’ll dump him like she does with everyone else,” Bi said in a scolding tone, stating what we all already knew. “Be careful, Elizabete. One day you’re going to fall in love!” she warned.

That seemed pretty unlikely for someone who didn’t believe in that kind of feeling, but deep down, I hoped one day someone would come along and change Bete’s reality.

“Only when pigs fly!” she declared, as she always did, laughing heartily.

That same night, around seven, my phone buzzed with a text from Marcos. He wanted to meet to talk. My heart sank and raced at the same time.

He might just want to tell me to forget everything, or he could say he wanted more.

It was my anxiety to find out that made me rush to take a shower and change.

“Mom, I’m going to Bete’s!” I shouted, blatantly lying as I ran down the stairs.

“Watch the time you come back. You have school tomorrow,” she murmured in response.

While running down the street, I typed a quick message to Bete, asking her to cover for me and promising to explain later.

I was so distracted with my phone that I didn’t see what it was, but I felt it when my body slammed hard into something solid and big. I nearly fell backward, but someone grabbed me firmly, helping me regain my balance.

“In a hurry?” Marcos murmured, a huge smile on his face, taking my breath away.

Damn, I’d been caught in my excitement to meet him!

“I thought I was going to your place,” I said quietly, trying to regain some dignity.

“Nope, I was coming to get you,” he said, taking my hand and leading me along. “Let’s talk at the park.”

The park? He definitely wanted to tell me to forget it. Otherwise, he’d take me somewhere more private where we could be more comfortable.

I walked in silence, feeling like I was being led to the slaughter. In a way, I was—after all, this would kill all my dreams before they could even take root.

After finally admitting to myself that I was in love with him, I’d built up so many expectations. Feeling Marcos touch me, kiss me with devotion and so much desire, gave me wings to dream. But now I’d have to swallow it all and forget.

“Listen, I know what you want to say, so we could spare ourselves the rest of the walk. I’ll forget everything that happened between us, and if you want, I can even tell everyone at school it was all a lie…” I rambled as we entered the park, feeling too pathetic to follow him just to get a polite rejection.

“I don’t want you to forget, and definitely don’t say that night was a lie—not now that I’ve finally let myself taste that beautiful mouth,” he said, making me freeze in place. “What? Was I that good at hiding my desire for you?”

“What are you talking about…” He didn’t let me finish.

As soon as we reached the gazebo, he pulled me close, kissing me with the same hunger as the first time.

My body melted against his, as if I needed full contact like that night. I wanted more, so much more, and I was going to savor every second he gave me.

Marcos sat on the ground and pulled me down with him.

“I tried so hard to hide my interest in you, ever since the night I took you home. You remember last year?”

I just nodded, too shocked to speak. His hand brushed some strands of hair from my eyes, and he pulled me closer.

“Of course I remember.”

“But I couldn’t. All I could think about was kissing you, feeling your body against mine like this. Seeing guys your age eyeing you and having a shot with you was killing me. I know it’s wrong, but it’s stronger than my self-control.”

This time, I grabbed him. Our lips found each other, and I ran my hands through his hair, feeling the softness of the strands. His tongue slid against mine in that sensual dance that was driving me crazy. In a burst of impulse, I climbed onto his lap, straddling him, needing him more and more.

“I’ve wanted you since that day,” I murmured against his lips without pulling away.

When he tugged my lip between his teeth more firmly, I couldn’t hold back a soft moan. I wanted to hide my face for being so pathetic, moaning over so little, but it seemed to ignite him even more.

“I’m definitely going to hell for this,” I heard him stammer against my neck, and I shivered from head to toe as his lips kissed my sensitive skin, trailing a path of fire up my neck.

This was a point of no return for us. We’d do whatever we wanted, give ourselves to each other completely, without considering the problems or consequences.

We were embracing our feelings with our hearts, and that would mark us forever.