ARIA
I stood there like a complete idiot, staring at the empty space where Kael had disappeared. My lips were still tingling, my heart still hammering against my ribs like it didn't know he was gone. I should've moved. I should've gone inside. Instead, I just stood there, shivering like some lovesick fool who didn't know better.
I rubbed the back of my hand against my mouth, as if that could erase what just happened. It didn't. I could still feel him. His hands, his mouth, the heat he left behind like a curse. God, I hated him. I hated him for doing this. I hated myself even more for letting him.
A gust of wind hit me, snapping me out of whatever trance I was stuck in. I wasn't some helpless little girl standing outside her own damn apartment. I wasn't going to give him that power over me.
I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, my fingers trembling from the cold… or maybe from something worse.
