Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Emily

The sky is an infinity of stars, and it's always crazy to me how each star is a light that was sent years ago, but reaching us just now. It reminds me of all the pain that we face and never understand until years later. It makes me wonder if I'll ever understand mine.

"Hey," His voice shakes me from my thoughts. I look up slightly to meet the sea of green in his eyes.

He lays down on the grass next to me, although there's glitter everywhere after the party. It was Jade's idea to bring a pinata and fill it with glitter and chocolate. The chocolate was really good though. He doesn't seem to mind, and neither do I.

"I think that the most beautiful skies I've ever seen are here," He murmurs, his voice low and raspy. It makes me smile.

"That kinda means something since you've been everywhere."

He shrugs.

"What's the most beautiful place you've been to?" I ask. "And you can't say here or the states. Choose something else," I add.

He laughs. "You know me too well. I was going to say Malibu. But like, if you mean landscape beauty, it's a hundred percent Switzerland. They have the most beautiful mountains. You must have been to Mount Rosa, right?"

I nod. Switzerland is indeed one of the most beautiful places that I've visited too. "I climbed Rosa and Dom."

He smirks. "Have I ever told you how much I find it sexy that you climb mountains?"

My stomach flutters as he caresses my cheek. "No, but go on."

He grins. "I also find it super sexy when you're bossy at the office. Especially when you're extremely angry at Melanie or Steph and slam the door behind you."

I frown. "Really?"

He shrugs. "I have a thing for strong women. Like, my favorite movies are always the ones that have kick-ass boss female lead characters. Like "Hunger Games" is one hundred percent one of my favorite movies."

I laugh, my hands covering my face. "God, you can be such a dork."

He shrugs and I absolutely love how comfortable he is with himself. He doesn't care to make fun of himself. He's so comfortable in his own skill that my independence doesn't scare him. "It's one of my absolute favorite things about you. That you don't take yourself too seriously," I reveal.

He seems surprised for a second. "That is good to know 'cause if I got paid for being an idiot, I'd be making a shit ton of money."

I laugh, looking back at the sky. "You know, we actually get meteor showers every year. We usually gather all here and Josh brings his telescope. We have a small fire, toast marshmallows and drink wine."

He gasps. "That's so cool, even though I have no idea what the fuck is a meteo shower."

A laugh escapes me. "It's called a meteor, dummy. A meteor is a light in the sky that happens when meteoroids crash through the Earth's atmosphere. Meteoroids are the rocks that orbit around the sun."

"No way, that's so cool. When's the next meteor shower?"

"End of July."

He grins. "Awesome, so in two weeks, right?"

"Yeah. You'll still be here to catch them," I breathe out, the words coming out heavier than I intended them to be.

I look at him only to find him immersed in the beauty of the sky. My heart speeds up when his eyes meet mine. God, his eyes have an entire galaxy in them. With him looking at me like that, it's harder to breathe.

"My mom really likes you."

I smile. "I like her too. We sort of bonded when you were away."

"Uh oh. On a scale from one to ten, how much did she embarrass me?"

I laugh, ticking my tongue teasingly. "Trust me, you don't want to find out." Even though Jade didn't actually say anything embarrassing about him, I like teasing him. However, it's not too late to bombard her with questions about him before she leaves.

He groans. "Ah, that is mortifying."

"I could do some serious damage if I wanted to. So you better not get on my bad side, Peter Pan."

He bites his lip, sending flutters down my stomach. "Is that so?"

"That is very much so."

"Okay. I can think of a few ways to stay on your good side," He whispers in my ear and I automatically lean closer, pulling him closer as he buries his face in my neck.

I fight the urge to moan as his lips leave a trail of kisses on my shoulder, neck, jaw - Oh, this feels really good.

"I like it when you wear off-shoulder sweaters," He whispers. "It makes it easier to do this."

His teeth graze the sensitive spot below my ear. My breaths are frenzied and heavy. God, how is he even so good at this? The dirty talk, knowing exactly where my sweet spots are, how to use his hands, his lips -

"Logan," I breathe out his name when his lips touch my earlobe. "Your mom-" I manage to make out.

He pulls away with an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, Em? We're still talking about my mom?"

I bite back a smile. "She loves you, you know? Like, she was telling me that she just worries so much about you and your brother. Especially after the accident," I add, hoping he'd mention what happened last summer.

I want to hear it from him.

He shrugs. "I know. I know she does," But then his hands pull me closer, before slipping under my sweater. I shiver at the contact, which makes him smirk.

He's on me, face in my neck, hands under my sweater, and it's really hard to focus on anything other than the oceans of sensations hitting me. I bury my hands in his hair, wrapping his curls around my finger. It's now or never. "She told me about what happened last summer."

He freezes for a split second before pulling away completely. He's back on the grass, sitting tall. "For God's sake, Em."

I pull myself up too. "What?" My hand moves to his chest before resting on his shoulder. I tilt my head, trying to meet his eyes but he avoids my gaze. "Did I say something-"

"I just don't like talking about it. At all." Although his voice is sharp, his hand holds mine before finally meeting my eyes again.

"I'm sorry. I just want you to know that if you want to, I'm here. I'll listen."

He smiles. "Duly noted. Now can we make out without you bringing up my mom or past trau-" I silence him with my lips.