Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Chapter 23
Millie
"You really need to go to work," I laugh, my voice light but with a hint of reluctance as I gaze at Tripp, who’s still sprawled out on the bed, looking every bit as comfortable as he’s been for the past two days.
"I can call in for one more day," he murmurs, reaching for me with a lazy grin, his green eyes twinkling mischievously.
I chuckle and shake my head, giving him a gentle push out of the bed. "You've already called in for two days in a row. I’m pretty sure your family is going to start a search party if you don’t show up soon. Besides, I’ve got to open up my shop today." The words feel almost foreign after the blissful cocoon of my apartment, where time seemed to stop and the outside world ceased to exist.
The past two days have been a whirlwind of tangled sheets, whispered secrets, and the kind of laughter that makes your sides ache. We’ve barely come up for air, losing ourselves in each other as if the rest of the world didn’t matter. And for a while, it didn’t.
"I don’t want to go," Tripp groans dramatically, reluctantly gathering his clothes from the floor, where they’d been discarded in haste. He holds up his shirt with a rueful smile. "But, I guess I do need to check in with my family. Maybe go home and grab more clothes. I’m running low."
I can’t help but smile at the thought of him coming back. “You’d better come back after work. No disappearing on me.”
His face lights up with that boyish grin I’ve come to adore. "There’s no place I’d rather be," he says earnestly, the warmth in his voice making my heart skip a beat.
I finally get out of bed, stretching languidly as I squint slightly at the golden light streaming through the bedroom windows. The sun is already high in the sky, reminding me that the world has kept turning outside our little sanctuary. But even as I step into the day, I know part of me will be counting down the hours until he’s back.
He crosses the room, his footsteps soft against the hardwood floor as he steps up next to me. The warmth of his presence lingers, and I can feel the hesitation in the air between us. "I’m going to miss you," he murmurs, his voice low and sincere, as if the words hold more weight than they should for just a few hours apart.
I look up into his eyes, losing myself in the depth of that gaze that has somehow become my safe haven in such a short time. "I’ll miss you too," I reply softly, my hand brushing against his arm as if trying to hold on to this moment just a little longer.
He leans down and presses a lingering kiss to my forehead, and then, almost reluctantly, he begins to get dressed. I watch him, memorizing every movement—the way he pulls on his shirt, the way his fingers fumble slightly with the buttons as if they, too, are reluctant to part. He gives me one last smile, a crooked, endearing thing that tugs at my heartstrings, before turning and heading for the door.
The sound of the door clicking shut echoes in the quiet of the apartment, and I let out a deep sigh, feeling the emptiness settle around me. The space that had been so full of life just moments ago now feels achingly still.
"What am I thinking?" I mutter to myself as I start tidying up the apartment, picking up the scattered remnants of our time together—his coffee cup, a discarded sweater, the pillows we’d tossed aside in our late-night conversations. My heart is a tangle of emotions as I move through the space that now feels so much bigger without him in it.
As I straighten up the cushions on the couch, I pause, my hand lingering on the fabric. "I’ve never felt anything like this before in my life," I admit out loud, the words hanging in the air. It’s new, it’s exhilarating, and it’s terrifying all at once. There’s a giddiness in my chest that I’ve never known, a spark that’s been ignited deep inside me, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s too good to be true. Can something this fun, this intense, really last? Or is it just a fleeting moment of magic, destined to fade as quickly as it arrived?
With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I finish tidying up and head down to the bookshop, the one constant in my life that feels solid and real. But even as I unlock the door and prepare to start the day, a part of me is still back in that apartment, replaying every touch, every laugh, and every word.
"You look like you’re glowing," Violet says with a knowing smile as she steps into my shop, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She’s barely through the door before she’s zeroed in on me, and I can’t help the wide grin that spreads across my face in response.