14

Cleo

Miles Apart

On the last day at KYU, I woke up in Miles's bed. The clock blinked five o'clock in the morning. I still had time, and I almost groaned in pleasure at the thought while Miles closed the door softly behind him. In the darkness, I could barely see him. But I knew who it was from his chuckle.

"Good morning, vixen. Guess who bought coffee?"

"You bought coffee?" I murmured and pushed up from the pillow. "My hero."

I waited for him to flip on the light switch, but that didn't come. He strode across the bedroom floor and gingerly placed the tray on the nightstand. The covers moved on the bed, and my smile widened. His hands crept under my pajama top. Exactly the kind of morning I'd been hoping for.

His fingers glided along my waist, heightening my senses.

With a groan, I fisted the blankets beneath my fingers.

The flat of his palms started rubbing along my back, easing out the tension. But it wasn't just that. A massage from Miles wasn't something I could've bought at one of the national spa chains. It was that good.

My skin tingled with goosebumps.

The darkness, and Miles, and him pressing his lips to my shoulder blades, and the way his body moved over mine, taking control, taking me , all mixed into the best possible morning.

My last morning at KYU.

He chuckled again, a soft breath against my neck. I leaned back against him, no longer thinking about how I could get him out of his gray sweatpants. Saying goodbye to KYU itself was going to be easy. I missed the coffee back on campus.

Miles was a different story.

It was like concrete layered over my shoulders and I tensed up, unable to relax.

"I got a present," he whispered.

Oh, please no.

Guilt took hold. I loved my coffees from Miles and the crane game teddy bear he'd left on my clipboard, but another gift was another promise. That wasn't something I could give him. We both agreed to see each other during the fall semester and Miles had vowed he'd sneak out to see me whether his coaches liked it or not.

But how could I do that to him?

How could I take away his opportunity to actually settle in KYU?

"Isn't this the present?" I asked lightly, tracing lines over the back of his hand while he cupped my breast.

With a chuckle, he kissed the sensitive part behind my ear. "This isn't the present."

"Miles." I sighed. "This is my last day—"

"Don't say that." His hand disappeared, and he wrapped an arm around my chest, pulling me closer to him. His voice was low and husky, almost a rasp. "It's not the last day. Not really."

It couldn't be. The idea of leaving him was painful . The idea of leaving this gruff, blond loner with broad shoulders and the most carefree attitude I'd ever met left me sinking to the floor.

Why couldn't I just enjoy our time together?

I pressed against him again. If I burrowed him down in our relationship, I knew he wouldn't want to resurface. I wouldn't either.

Was I taking away his one chance to be happy at his college?

The blankets shifted and Miles brought me up, holding me in his arms while we sat on the bed. It was quiet between us. He pulled me into his lap and reached to the side of the bed.

Of course, he could read my mood.

"You're a saint," I murmured and took the cup from him.

It warmed my hands, just like the sexy heater I had against my back and I took a sip. White chocolate drizzle goodness. So good. Nuzzling back against Miles, I took another look at the nightstand. Another coffee sat on the tray.

I frowned. "You don't drink coffee?"

"That's right."

He pulled the cup back to us and held it in front of me.

Carefully, he took my cup of coffee and replaced it with the other one. Room temperature, no heat, and no familiar morning glory filled to the brim.

The cup was…empty.

"What is this?" I shook the cup. Something clinked inside.

"I wanted to get you a reminder before you left."

Inside was a white gold necklace. It slipped between my fingers and my heart pounded just looking at it.

Oh no. This was the leap before the cliff, the pause before taking the final jump. A lump rose in my throat just looking at it.

" Miles apart… " I read the inscription out loud, my voice a whisper.

" But in my heart, " he finished for me, twisting the metal to show the back.

His fingers intertwined with mine, and it brought an instant flush to my skin.

Part of me wanted to panic about the necklace. It was everything that I should've been worried about. Too far, too much for where we were at. But there was no way he just stumbled on a piece of jewelry with his name on it. The jewelry was a custom piece. It had to be.

I swallowed. "It's…it's not subtle."

"It's not."

"Miles." I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. "It's so beautiful. But…we just have today…and we have to be so careful right now—"

"I don't want to be careful." Miles held the necklace up to my neck and kissed where the chain clasped at the back. "But I'll do it for you."

Twisting the necklace between my fingers, I watched him head off to take a shower. Steam rose in the room while he hummed something. Miles was happy. He was so incredibly happy, and he'd be miserable the moment I had to leave, and I had to leave. I pulled my knees up to my chest.

Miles would be happier with somebody else. Somebody closer.

"Are you coming in?" he called.

I wound my necklace over my fingers again. The moment I left his apartment, I'd take it off and slip it into my pocket. But, for now, I pushed up from the bed and slipped into the shower with him, trying not to let my growing anxiety show.

You can't show your cards to anybody, and I couldn't let Miles see how much leaving would hurt me too.

Because then he'd do something stupid. I knew him well enough to know that .