Naughty Neighbor - Lauren Runow Page 0,70
That said, I assumed when I did tell him, he’d get a huge kick out of it. I wasn’t prepared for him to show up here, looking so downhearted. He’s upset, but I still can’t figure out why.
He meets my eyes. Keeping his body language closed, he asks, “How come you freaked out when I told you how I felt about you?”
I tilt my head in confusion. Here I thought, this had to do with the book, but this is not what I figured he would ask first.
I close my eyes and make my way to the cupboard, reaching for a mug. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
He places his hand on mine, stopping my movements. “I don’t need coffee. I want an answer.” He picks up the book. “Is this how you feel? Obviously, I’m your hero, and this book is our entire relationship with everything we’ve done together, so I ask, is this how you feel about me?”
I bite on my thumb, and he pulls it out of my mouth, staring straight into my eyes, waiting for my answer.
“I don’t know yet,” I say under my breath as I turn away.
He moves around the counter to where I am and stands in front of me, making sure he’s my sole focus. “So, you’re saying I’m good enough to use to write a story, but I’m not good enough to be in love with?”
My shoulders fall as I tilt my head up to him. “That’s not what happened, and you know it.”
He raises his eyebrows, and he steps back to give me my space. “Explain it to me because it sounds like you took our entire relationship from the day we met and turned it into a love story.”
“I thought you’d be happy about that.” I place my hand on his chest, but it’s obvious my touch is not welcome, so I pull it back.
“You thought I’d be happy about the fact that you think our life was good enough for fiction, yet you’re not sure if you believe in what you write? Do you even like me, or was this just to get story ideas since you were suffering from writer’s block?”
“You know it wasn’t like that. I’m crazy about you.” I step toward him, but he puts his hands up, silently asking me to stay where I am.
“No, I don’t. I told you I was in love with you, and you freaked out.”
“You can’t love me. No one falls that fast. Besides, that’s not love; it’s lust and some fun jokes and great moments, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to last.”
“Bullshit.”
He steps closer, and I take in a sharp inhale.
“Excuse me?”
“You fell in love with me too.” He’s even closer now, and I can barely breathe, having him so near.
“You sound so sure,” I say under my breath as I reach for my cup to have some kind of security even if it’s false.
“You did, Lacey.” He places his fingers under my chin to turn my face back toward him. “You fell in love with me, and it’s right here in all two hundred and eight fucking pages. You think love doesn’t last? Well, even you gave us a damn epilogue, saying it did.”
“It’s fiction,” I yell as tears prick my eyes, mad that they’re appearing.
“It’s reality, and you’re scared. Admit it. You’re afraid of what this is. It’s love. It’s you and me, and it’s happening. Yes, couples fight. Yes, they probably even hate each other’s guts some days. But that’s the real world. Loving someone so damn much that you’ll weather through the storm is what I want. I’m willing to try that with you, but you’re not.”
“No, that’s not true.” I shake my head as I let everything he just said sink in. “You’re too much of a dreamer, Jake. You can’t even see that what we have is moving so fast. Too fast. I mean, who even says I love you this soon?”
“You do. It’s right here in your book.” He slaps his hand on the pages.
“Stop throwing my book in my face.”
“You don’t think you’re a walking hypocrite? You’re still on birth control, Lace. Why? And don’t give me some bullshit about how it regulates your period. You’re hiding behind the fact that you still care about meeting someone. Being intimate with someone.”
“Sex is not love.”
“It was for me. With you, it was love. I wasn’t even expecting for you to say it back. I knew you wouldn’t be