Drawn to You — Volume Two Read Online Free PDF Page B

I can’t help but feel a little envious of.
    “Uh huh. I’m sure you did,” Augie says, walking past her.
    Ceci’s boy toy slips past us and out the door wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs as he carries his pants and shirt. I stifle a laugh as Augie’s gaze lingers over the finely cut six-pack on the handsome stranger.
    “Augie, you better close your mouth or a fly will get in there,” I tease.
    He blushes.
    “Yes, mother.”
    Ceci throws on her jeans and walks over to the kitchen. I bite back a laugh as she rummages through the kitchen looking for food. I’m starting to think that we should’ve gone to a three-bedroom apartment instead of a two-bedroom.
    “I’m going to go lay down,” Augie says with an exasperated look.
    “Sounds good,” I say.
    I watch Ceci silently pouring herself a bowl of cereal before plopping on the leather couch. She looks over at me with a smile.
    “I know what you’re going to say, Emily.”
    She stabs her spoon at the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal in her bowl.
    “What am I going to say?” I ask.
    “You’re going to say that I’m always meeting different guys. That I need to be careful, but you know, I realized something the other night. I may put myself out there a lot, but at least I try. You stopped trying. You rarely go on dates anymore. It’s like you’ve given up on being with anyone. I know when Alex died that was a lot for you, but you can’t stop living.”
    I lost too much.
    “I am living,” I counter.
    A stabbing pain hits me as Ceci rolls her eyes at me.
    “No, you wake up, eat, go to school, come home, and repeat the same thing over and over.”
    “I went to the party at NYU. Maybe I didn’t stay there all night, but at least I went.”
    “I’m surprised you went to the party, but remember, Augie and I had to beg you to go.”
    “It’s not my scene. It’s not me,” I say.
    “It used to be you,” she says. “You’ve changed.”
    Maybe I have changed. Who doesn’t change in four years? Alex’s death changed me, Tristan’s absence changed me, and both were out of my control. What am I supposed to do? Pretend like none of it ever happened? I can’t.
    “I think I’m going to go to bed, too. Good night, Ceci.”
    A sad smile appears on her face as I turn and leave. Behind me, I hear the TV switch on and the sound of laughter filling the screen. Despite how much I’ve tried to keep up with my friends and live my life, I can’t fight the dreaded feeling that Ceci might be right. Maybe I’m just existing.
     

SEVEN
    TRISTAN
     
    I SLIP A cigarette from my shirt pocket and light it as I lean against the wrought iron balcony of my studio apartment. The sun is just rising over the peak of the surrounding buildings, filling the room behind me with a celestial beam of sunshine. It’s the perfect lighting to finish my canvas, but my mind isn’t anywhere near the right state to return to my work. Despite the bottle of wine I had devoured last night, seeing Emily left me with an ache that I’m almost certain began at my soul.
    I ache to feel her petite frame quivering beneath mine, to hear the way she gasped when I slid my cock inside her. Her sweetness ruined me the same way I ruined her. Those aquamarine eyes staring at me from against the staircase will forever be engrained in my mind.
    “Em, you’re so wet.”
    It’s taken all my strength not to break down and write her a letter detailing how sorry I am that I screwed up. I’ve thought about her every night since I left. I’ve longed to feel the warmth of her skin against my fingers again. It’s better that I keep my distance. As much as I care for her, we fit in different worlds. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
    A voice calls to me shattering my thoughts.
    “Tristan, come back to bed.” I look down at the naked dark-haired beauty that calls to me from my bed. I almost forgot she was here. Her coy smile completes her cat-like features as she crawls toward me on the