Her breath stopped. She could have been a statue. I had never seen a living person remain so still.

"I'm sorry it's all coming out wrong. I'd like to blame those knee-socks. They've greatly decreased the amount of blood circulating to my brain."

She sat up and all but got off my bed before I quickly crawled over to her and held her in my arms. "It was Logan-he's screwing with me. Tot was asking me about you outside of the cafe and I got pissed off and somehow ended up yelling at her about angels and my mom and then when she started to cry I hugged her, and then she saw that prick take a picture on his phone. So I kissed her to a test a theory and he took a picture of that. I kissed her again and same result. Why would he care if I'm kissing a girl, Everly?"

She just shook her head. "Is that supposed to be a better explanation?"

"Your father babies him in the hospital-when have you ever witnessed that?"

"You think ..." she settled herself with a heavy breath. "You think Timothy asked him to do this?"

I changed the question. "What would have happened if you saw a picture of me kissing Tatum?"

"I don't know, Callum." She looked away, but I captured her chin and held her attention.

"Would you believe that I'd cheat on you? That this wasn't real between us?" Everly's eyes didn't want to say it, and she didn't have to. I knew the answer. "Why would you believe that?"

"Why wouldn't I believe it?"

"Because I told you that I'm in love with you."

She stilled again. "No you haven't."

"I have so. Mi sono innamorato di te. I told you the last time I saw you. I'm in love with you."

Guilt plagued her eyes. "I don't want you to be in love with me."

"Which one is it, Everly? You didn't know I told you, or you knew, but don't want to believe it's true because your father has brainwashed you into thinking it would be impossible for you to matter to someone?"

Her eyes burned electric as she shoved forward. "It's not about me, Callum. I want you to have that chance at life you said you were after. This is not a chance. This is everything you hate about the word just-doom. That's what this is for you. It's pure doom."

I challenged, "Then why are you in my room looking so fuckin' beautiful waiting for me on my bed and asking me to kiss you?"

"Because I have an arrow living inside my chest that shoots straight toward you-even though I know the sky is falling for us. Even though I know all we're destined for is dust. I can't make it change course. It leads me to you every time I've tried to turn away."

I pushed her blonde hair over her shoulders. And the rush I didn't feel on the couch suddenly came all at once as soon as I touched her. But I was too nervous and hinged-like my arms couldn't straighten and my fingers couldn't feel. She was so soft and sweetly perfumed, and I was just some short-sighted blip with a rush under my skin and flame igniting my ego.

"I should change my clothes," I said as I scooted off the bed. "I've been in the hospital all day."

Everly rose to her knees on the edge of the mattress. Her hands landed on my chest. "Just take them off."

I slid my arms behind her knees and pulled her onto my hips. "I should take a shower too."

"Your vocab is insufferable," she groaned. "Singulars in the presence of the woman you claim to be in love with are the absolute worst."

I turned away from the bed. "There was a should in there too." I placed her on the counter once we reached the bathroom. "As in I should take a shower by myself, but I'm not going to."

I turned the water on and pulled my shirt off, then went back to test the temperature. "It's warm." I stood next to the counter and expected her to slide away once my back was turned as she did all of the other nights we showered together, but she only raised her arms for me to strip her violet dress away. As soon as it hit the floor she crossed her chest with her arms. I put my mouth on her shoulder as she whispered, "You can touch me, just don't look at me. I'm all bones and no curves. This isn't our one free day, anymore."

Her blonde hair threaded through my fingers as I tipped her head back so I could stare down into her eyes. "All I ever do is look at you, Everly Anne, even when you're not with me, all I have to do is close my eyes, dream, and there you are."

The kiss I gave her was smaller than a thimble and just below her bottom lip, yet my whole body quaked in response.

I carried her into the shower and washed her hair as I had so many other nights, but every time I put my hands on her I had to rein myself in and bury the need to take a step forward that I could never take back. My eyes wandered further than they had any other night, too. They followed as warm water ran down her hair, across her breasts and ribs. I thumbed dawdling soap-bubbles on her hips as I watched, and burned, yearning for her skin against mine.

When she pulled away from the stream our eyes met. I kissed the water on her face, and she wrapped her arms up high, around my shoulders as she tipped on her toes. We stood there like that-wrapped in each other-ignoring every star that might someday fall.

She spooned against me as we waited for time to run out. My robe kept her warm and my body behaved itself despite the longing I felt. She played her fingers across my forearm as she rested her head in the crook of my elbow. It was the only thing that told me she was still awake.

"Why did you get rid of the peach?" I asked.

"I didn't get rid of the peach. I got rid of the blonde, and now I've brought it back."

I played along. "Why did you get rid of the blonde?"