"YOU'RE BEING SERIOUS, right? You're not just fucking with me?" Ava squealed over the phone.
"Ava! Geez, language!"
"Sorry, mom," she groaned.
"No, I'm telling the truth. There was a mix-up with our hotel rooms and the hotel is fully booked, so we're rooming together," I whispered so that the other people around me couldn't eavesdrop.
"Wow, fate is really working in your favor right now!" Ava exclaimed.
"Hey, what about James?" I asked amusedly.
"Honestly, there's no side I'm rooting for anymore. Living vicariously through you is amazing."
I rolled my eyes, "I wish I could say the same."
"So how is it up there? Must be pretty lonely without me, huh?" Ava teased.
I laughed, "Actually, there's this girl I met from our group, her name's Stacey."
Ava gasped, "Wow I thought I was irreplaceable."
In the background, a loud bang echoed through the phone, a box being kicked over.
"Goddammit," Ava said in annoyance. "Well, tell me the rest later on, I have to go."
"Wait, what's goingâ"
Ava hung up before I could finish my question. It had been a couple days since we first arrived, and things couldn't have been more awkward, at least for me. Every time I was in my hotel room with Milo, my brain would shut down, causing my body to constantly feel tense.
Sighing, I shoved my phone back into my bag as I waited in the lobby with everyone else, waiting for what was to come next. Finally, as Professor Smith stepped off the elevator, a low hush fell over the group.
"One of the attractions we were supposed to visit today closed down unexpectedly for repair so the rest of your morning is free. You all should be mature and responsible enough to handle yourselves, so go wherever as you please. Just make sure that you're back by noon for our afternoon plans."
Immediately, everyone disbursed, some wanting to leave as quickly as possible, while others groaned and went back up to their room to sleep in.
"Hey, you want to do something?" Milo asked from beside.
"Sure," I shrugged nonchalantly. What would I have to lose?
"Great. I know the perfect spot."
â
"REALLY? I thought we'd be spending our free time outside of the hotel, exploring the city."
"Trust me, it's worth it," claimed Milo. "Besides, we still have," he peeked down at his watch, "ninety minutes left. We'll still have some time to explore."
As we climbed the last flight of stairs, Milo pushed the door open turning around to face me. "Ready?"
I nodded, and he walked out as I followed. Milo walked towards the edge of the spacious balcony.
"Woah," I said breathlessly, taking in the view. I looked down as I scanned the street, watching people as they hurriedly crossed the street and cars honking their horns. My eyes traveled up a building, and I saw Times Square bustling with people. "How did you find this place?"
We weaved through many hallways throughout the hotel to get here. It was practically tucked away within secret passageways.
"I found this place the other year when we came here. I needed someplace to clear my head, and I wounded up here. The view's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Beautiful is an understatement. The view is just...wow."
"I'm glad you like it," Milo chuckled. When I turned my head to face Milo, I already found him staring at me, causing me to blush furiously. "Let's play twenty questions," Milo said spontaneously.
"Why?" I asked, puzzled.
"Because it's been three years since we've seen each other, and apart from art and the occasional run-in, we don't really ever talk. I don't really know much about you anymore," shrugged Milo, stuffing his fingers into his pockets.
"Okay..."
And with that, the questions began flooding in.
â
"EW, I CAN'T believe that's your favorite food!" I shook my head as I playfully scrunched my nose in disgust, gagging.
"Tomatoes aren't that bad," Milo defended as we sat on a short wall on the balcony, facing each other.
"I'd rather eat anything else," I said, squirming a bit.
And then it happened, that awkward silence that we successfully avoided for so long. Our eyes locked and it felt like his eyes were burning holes through my head. His eyes flickered down to my lips for a brief second before meeting my eyes again.
"What?" I whispered with a slight smirk. He shook his head, a smirk also spreading across his lips. I raised my eyebrow at him, unaware of how close we were until this very moment. As he leaned in, I began to panic. Instead, I blew into his eyes, causing him to back away and blink furiously.
"Ha, you blinked," I chuckled awkwardly. "I win."
He forced out a faint laugh as he became teary-eyed. "Oh crap, what time is it?"
I pulled out my phone. 12:30p.m.
"Milo, we need to go. We're half an hour late," I said, panic laced within my voice as I shot up and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I tugged on his arm, racing towards the door, "Come on."
"Miss Summers, Mr. Jensen, where have you been?" Professor Smith said sternly, crossing her arms when we arrived downstairs.
"Sorry, we lost track of time," Milo spoke up, trying to save both of our sorry asses.
"Mhm." She unfolded her arms. "It better not happen again. Come on."
â
"WOW, TODAY WAS...underwhelming." I tossed my shoulder bag onto the bed and heaved out a deep sigh, slipping off my baby blue jacket and draping it over the computer chair from across the bed.
"Really, I mean it wasn't that bad...right?" Milo responded, arching his brow as he chuckled.
"Are you kidding? No offense to our tour guide, but when she was talking, I thought I was going to fall asleep any second," I said, giving him a "duh" look.
After spending the day doing our separate activities, mines being taking an open contemporary dance class at Broadway Dance Center and Milo visiting NBC and meeting some of the writers for their shows, we visited a history museum that showcased many animal statues behind glass walls.
I wanted to break away from the group and walk around; but the museum was so big, I knew I would've gotten lost and would've spent my entire night there.
"Her voice was so calm and soothing that if she read me a bedtime story, I would've been out like a light." I snapped my fingers and pretended to fall asleep, closing my eyes, to which Milo chuckled.
"Are you still going to see Anastasia tonight?" Milo asked, making his way towards his suitcase to grab a change of clothes.
"I guess, I mean we paid for it, right? Might as well get my money's worth." Glancing down, I peered at my outfit and shrugged, deciding that my black romper was good enough for tonight's show.
"What if you fall asleep?" Milo responded as he shut the bathroom door to change.
"I won't, I promise," I said loudly. As Milo came out, I added, "But if I do, kick me in the shin and wake me up." I pointed to him, grinning.
â
"DAMMIT," I groaned, eyebrows furrowed. I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting to the bright exposure, rubbing my eyes.
The last thing I remembered was hearing Anastasia sing "Once Upon A December" as my eyes slowly fluttered closed. Milo sat next to me, and I was so drowsy, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. My head slowly fell onto Milo's shoulder, and I automatically wiggled in my chair to get more comfortable.
"I thought you said you wouldn't fall asleep," Milo smirked. I shot up, hitting my head on his chin in the process, both of us groaning in pain.
"Oh shit, sorry." I turned away, trying to hide my face, which was turning as bright as a tomato. People around us stood up, attempting to squeeze into the jam-packed aisleways as everyone tried to leave the theater. Feeling my cheeks cool down a bit as I cringed, I turned around, "You good?"
"Yeah." Milo rubbed his jaw before standing up, "Come on."
Trailing behind, we successfully managed to leave the theater relatively quickly and met up with everyone else, walking back to our hotel.
As we walked through the street, my clumsy ass bumped into a man who was hurriedly passing through the street, coffee cup in hand. The lid on his cup opened as it collided with my chest, coffee dripping down my romper.
I apologized profusely as he yelled and cursed, screaming about how he would be late for the subway. Milo whisked me away as I continued to look back, watching the man shake his head as he watched me walk away.
The elevator ride up to our room was silent, the two of us standing in the middle of the elevator as we stared at our blurry reflections in the metal doors while I cringed at the theater and street incident.
"Milo, I'm really sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, really," said Milo, although he didn't look at me as he answered, scanning his keycard and opening the door. My heart sank as I shuffled through the door. Was he mad at me?
"No, you're not," I pouted, crossing my arms. "Something's bothering you. Was it when I bumped into you? Is your jaw still sore? I'm so sorry." Unfolding my arms, I walked over and absentmindedly touched his jaw, stomach feeling queasy as a small purple circle formed on his jawline.
"Stop apologizing," he said gruffly.
"What?" I breathed, gazing into his eyes that stared back intensely. My hand dropped from his face, breaths becoming shallow.
"I said, stop apologizing," repeated Milo, never ceasing eye contact.
"Iâ"
Shutting my mouth, I stepped away, head hung low, and maneuvered around him, wishing the earth would swallow me whole with every step towards the bathroom. Milo sighing behind me as he cursed under his breath.
"Hadley," he called gently as he grabbed my arm and spun me around, leaving minimal space between. "I'm not mad, I'm just upset at the fact that you're always apologizing to everyone left and right when sometimes, they should be apologizing to you instead."
My lips rolled in as I quietly inhaled, trying to steady my breath.
"I just got upset when that guy on the corner blew up on you. It was just coffee, not some glass antique, and...I don't know. For some reason, that just really ticked me off." He paused, eyes flickering down for a moment before locking with mines again, "You have too good of a heart, Hadley Summers. That's what'll hurt you the most."
Before I could ask him what he meant, he leaned down without hesitation and brushed his lips on mine, giving me no time to process everything that was happening as I stood there, eyes wide open. Frozen in place, the warmth from his lips caused an electrifying sensation that flowed ferociously through my body. My heart palpitated as my mind was sent into a frenzy.
Finally gaining some control over myself, my eyes fluttered closed and our lips moved in sync as I felt Milo sigh against my lips. He pulled away, and as I locked eyes with him once again, I knew there was no going back.
Slowly, I was backed up against the door and Milo placed his hands on either side of my head, our face just inches apart. He crashed his lips onto mine again, starting out slow but growing with need every second. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me as I ran my fingers through his hair.
My mind was screaming at me that this was wrong, extremely wrong. But at the same time, it felt right.
With every fleeting moment, the feelings I had for Milo that was pent up for so long finally broke free completely.
And it was roaring with full force.
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A/N: Hey everyone! I promise, things get better!
I can't thank you enough, but thank you once again lol for reading this book (even if it was a bit of smooth sailing)!
-Karlee ð