Chapter 5

Even now, the faint marks on my skin hadn't fully faded.

The love bites were scattered across my neck and collarbone.

Looking at those painful reminders, the memories of that night rushed back against my will.

The heat of his hands, his breathless whispers in my ear, the rhythm of his body... it all felt so vivid.

But then, the video clip of him holding Amber flashed in my mind. He would say those exact same words to her. Maybe he would even be gentler with her.

Instantly, the warmth of those memories vanished, replaced by a wave of nausea.

Since he left the bar with Amber that night, he hadn’t texted me once.

In all the years we had known each other, this was the first time we went completely silent.

I suppose he was too busy chasing his "CEO's daughter" to care about me.

That was fine. A slow ending was still an ending.

My mind was a chaotic mess, and I didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

The next morning, the rich aroma of coffee and breakfast woke me up.

I opened my eyes to see Austin sitting at my dining table, holding a bag of bagels from the café downstairs.

He was smiling at his phone, typing furiously.

He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice me walking up.

I tapped his shoulder. He flinched, immediately flipping his phone face down on the table.

His guilty reaction was almost laughable.

He avoided my gaze. "Oh, you're awake. Why didn't you wake me up? I brought you breakfast."

I took two steps back, dodging his hand as he reached out to touch my waist.

Austin froze, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Why so distant all of a sudden? Are you shy?"

"I’ve been crazy busy with work the last few days, so I couldn't check in on you. Are you mad?"

He smirked and stepped closer.

I stepped back again. We ended up walking in circles around the kitchen island.

His smile faded, replaced by irritation. "What is your problem today?"

"Is this about the happy hour last night? Just because I talked to a few girls? Why do you have to be so insecure all the time?"