Page 117 of The Time It Takes
A knowing smile curves on his lips. “No.”
“Did you have someone put them in mine?”
His smile falters and he shakes his head. “My dad bought everything we—I knew you used and brought them into that room. When I wasn’t sure you’d want to stay at the house anymore.”
Oh. He means ten years ago.
My heart sinks at knowing he thought of doing that for me. Obviously not wanting to think of that night either, Oliver offers me a hand to help me sit in the tub. The warm water sloshes against our bodies as we sit. He takes a seat behind me so that my back is pressed against his chest. He drags a loofah over my chest and down my arms. I let the feeling of him against me and the warmth of the water soothe me.
I rub my middle finger in circles on his kneecap. The question comes out of my mouth before I have a chance to reign it back in. “Did you and Beth live here together?”
He stiffens behind me before realizing I’m genuinely curious. “No,” he says. “We never lived together.”
I lean my head back to look up at him. “Are you serious?”
His hand pauses his task as he stares down at me. “Yes,” he says matter-of-factly.
I narrow my eyes. “You were together for a long time.”
“It’s complicated,” he admits. “We were both busy. I preferred to have my own space. It never felt…right. Never felt like something I needed to happen.”
Yet, he was considering marrying her—thatI don’t mention. I sigh and pull my gaze away from him. His hands rub up and down on my arms in reassuring motions.
“What?” he asks when I sigh again.
I bite the inside of my cheek, my face twisting. “I punched her in the face,” I say. “And I really want to feel sorry, but…”
“But what?”
“It felt really fucking good.”
He chuckles softly, dipping his head to down press his lips to the nape of my neck. My eyes flutter shut. I feel his tongue trace along the sensitive skin beneath my ear, and I shiver against him.
“About the folder…” I start.
“Shh, it can wait a little longer.”
I feel myself relax into him more, letting out a relieved breath. He has no idea how much giving me time means to me. Especially when it has only ever been taken. His patience is everything.
We finish with the bath, and he helps me dry off first before helping me get dressed, which consists of one of my favorite things in the world—his t-shirt. When I bring it to my nose and inhale, he smiles to himself like all is right in the world. He throws on some sweatpants, and I’m more than happy to see he opts for no shirt.
He grabs my hand and leads me to his bed. I sit down as he goes into his nightstand drawer, pulling out the folder. He observes it for a moment before turning to face me. I start to bite my fingernails, but he pulls my hand away from my mouth and kisses the tip of each finger.
He sets the folder down in a spot next to me on the bed, but I don’t look at it.
I keep my eyes on Oliver as I say, “You should sit down.”
WHO WERE YOU BEFORE THE WORLD TORE YOU APART?
Ten years ago
Partieslikethismademy stomach churn, yet here I was walking directly into sweaty bodies and music I couldn’t make the words out to. It reeked of stale beer and cigarettes.
Little did I know that it was a smell I’d never forget.
Sadie called me earlier saying that Ben had been acting weird when he stopped by her house. She told me how he got pissed off when she said she didn’t want to go out with him because she wasn’t feeling well. She tried to ask him to stay with her, but she could tell something wasn’t right. She told me where he’d be and sent me the address.
Now that I was here, I wished I’d called Oliver and asked him to come with me. It was almost three in the morning, and I didn’t want to wake him with everything he’d been dealing with. He’d been so stressed lately, trying to learn the hotel business and dealing with the fact that his father had an inoperable brain tumor. He could still live for a few years, but the odds were against him.
