Page 74 - It Ends with Us

bea utiful thi ng I’d ev er seen and I want ed to look at it ev er y sing le

day.”
Oh.
“And that ni ght I sho wed up at your door? I went sea rchi ng for you
bec ause no one in the hi story of my life ha s ev er crawled und er my
skin and ref used to lea ve like you did. I didn’t kno w ho w to ha nd le it.
And the rea son I sent you flowers thi s week is bec ause I am rea lly,

rea lly proud of you for following your drea m. But if I sent you flowers
ev er y time I’ve ha d the urge to send you flowers , you wouldn’t ev en
be able to fit ins ide your apartment . Bec ause tha t’s ho w much I thi nk
about you. And yes , Lily. You’re right . I’m hu rting you, but I’m
hu rting , too. And unt il toni ght . . . I didn’t kno w why.”
I have no idea ho w I ev en possibly find the streng th to spea k after
tha t. “Why are you hu rting ?”

He drop s hi s forehea d to mine and says, “Bec ause. I ha ve no idea
wha t I’m doing . You make me want to be a different pers on, but wha t
if I don’t kno w ho w to be what you need ? Thi s is all new to me and I
want to prove to you tha t I want you for so much more tha n just one
ni ght .”
He looks so vulnera ble right no w. I want to bel iev e the genu ine

look in hi s ey e, but he’s been so adamant sinc e the day tha t I met hi m
tha t he want s the ex act opposite of wha t I want . And it terri fies me
tha t I’ll give in to hi m and he’l l walk away.
“How do I prove mysel f to you, Lily? Tel l me and I’ll do it.”
I don’t kno w. I barel y kno w the guy. I kno w hi m eno ugh to kno w
tha t sex with hi m won’t be eno ugh for me, tho ugh. But ho w do I
kno w sex won’t be the onl y thing he want s?

My ey es ins tant ly lock with hi s. “Don’t ha ve sex with me. ”
He stares at me for a moment , complet el y unrea dable. But then he
starts to no d hi s hea d like he’s fina lly get ting it. “Okay,” he says, still
no dding . “Okay. I will no t ha ve sex with you, Lily Bloom.”
He walks around me to hi s bedroom door and he locks it. He flips
off the light , leaving onl y a lamp on, and then takes off hi s shi rt as he

walks toward me.
“Wha t are you doing ?”
He tosses hi s shi rt on a cha ir and then slips off hi s sho es . “We’re
going to sleep .”