INICIAR SESIÓNI sit on the bed, breathing slowly, my fingers still trembling a little from everything that happened earlier. My eyes feel tender, like I cried too hard, and my chest holds that strange mix of heaviness and lightness that always comes after an emotional break. Santino had held me through it quiet, firm, warm like he wasn’t going anywhere. And he hadn’t judged me. He hadn’t asked for more. He had just held me until the shaking stopped.After I calmed down, he left the room for a few minutes. I thought he was giving me space, or maybe he was leaving , but then he returned with a bowl of ice cream and two spoons. The sight was so unexpected that I actually laughed. My laugh was tiny, shaky, but real. The ice cream was cold and sweet against my tongue, and every scoop helped smooth out the raw edges inside me. Now, thinking of it, I still feel the chill of the creamy vanilla melting on my tongue.We’re in the home theater now. The lights are dim and the big screen glows softly in the
I don’t even remember falling asleep. One moment, I’m lying on my bed staring at the ceiling, mind running with different thoughts about Who lila’s boyfriend could be. The next moment, I’m drifting in a deep, heavy nap that pulls me in like a warm tide. My limbs feel weightless. My mind floats. The room is quiet and dim, the curtains swaying with the soft afternoon air sneaking in from the barely-open window. The sheets smell faintly of detergent mixed with my floral scent cologne. It wraps around me and makes my chest tighten for a reason I don’t want to name.Something warm touches my cheek. Soft. Wet. Gentle. At first, my sleepy brain thinks it’s a dog licking me, some imaginary pet running around in a dream. I let out a tiny groan and bury my face deeper into the pillow. But the warm brush happens again, trailing from my cheek down to the corner of my jaw, then slowly to my neck. Hot breath follows. My skin trembles.I blink slowly, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. A face co
(HAILEY POV) I wake up feeling like every bone in my body has melted into the mattress. My muscles ache in a slow, warm way that makes my cheeks heat up. The sheets feel too soft, too warm, and too full of memories I’m trying to process all at once. My eyelids feel heavy as I blink slowly, adjusting to the soft morning light leaking in through the curtains. Everything smells faintly like Santino clean, warm, and masculine and my body tenses with a strange mixture of embarrassment and satisfaction.Last night flashes through my mind in tiny broken pictures his hands on my hips, his low voice whispering my name like a prayer, the way he kissed me until I forgot how to breathe. The way he didn’t stop. The way I didn’t want him to stop. My legs tremble slightly as I stretch them under the covers, and a weak little groan escapes my lips.God.He had the stamina of something that wasn’t even human.I roll carefully onto my side, trying to gather myself so I can sit up, but the moment I mo
I sit still in the driver’s seat, my fingers tightening around my phone. My heart slowly sinks to the bottom of my stomach, heavy and confused, while my eyes remain glued to the two of them. I can’t hear what they say, but the way Lila tilts her head and the way my father’s shoulders lower slightly, like he is relieved, sends a cold wave through my chest.What is going on?Why is my best friend meeting with my father?Why in a hotel?Why secretly?My mouth feels dry as dust. I stay inside the car even after they separate my father walking toward his black SUV, Lila walking out of the hotel like someone who is trying to look casual. I force myself to wait until my father’s car drives out of sight and Lila steps fully into the sunlight outside. Only then do I breathe out slowly and step out of the car, my legs feeling like they carry stones.I walk toward the burger place with my mind spinning in circles. My suspicions curl tightly in my stomach and refuse to loosen. Every step I take f
I wake up with the softest, warmest smile on my face, the kind that makes my cheeks stretch and my eyes feel sleepy even though I'm already awake. I lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling while my heart beats gently in my chest. Everything from last night plays in my mind like a movie on repeat. Every touch. Every breath. Every look. It was real. It actually happened. Me and Santino… we unlocked something new between us, something soft and intimate and perfect in a way that still makes my stomach twist with shy excitement.I sit up slowly, pushing the covers off my legs as the cold air brushes my skin. When I look down at the floor, I see the dress I wore last night lying there, rumpled and discarded like a silent reminder. My breath catches for a moment as I stare at it. I whisper to myself, “It happened… it really did,” because saying it out loud makes it feel even more real. My skin warms at the memory, and I have to cover my face with both hands to hide my silly grin even
Santino’s arms wrap around me so tightly that for a moment I can’t breathe, but I don’t care. I sink into him, my cheek pressed against the warm plane of his chest. I don’t even realize I am shaking until I feel it, his shoulders trembling too. When I try to pull back a little, just to look at him, I discover that his grip doesn’t loosen. His arms stay locked around me like he is afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go.That alone makes my throat pinch with more tears.He finally exhales, slow and shaky, and his arms fall open. I lean back just enough to see his face. His eyes are red not from tears, but like he’s been holding something too heavy inside. He lifts a hand and wipes the wetness from my cheeks with the softest touch, like he’s touching something fragile. I lean into his palm without thinking, my whole body leaning toward his warmth and steadiness.Before I know it, our foreheads meet. We share breath, the cool night air brushing against our skin, the candles flickering arou







