I knock softly and the door opens not a second later. She’s freshly showered, in her pajamas, her damp hair hangs in loose waves, and her eyes lift to mine. I don’t say another word. I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her like I’ve been gone for weeks instead of minutes. She melts into me as I gently kick the door closed behind me.
“How you doin’, Trouble?”
“Better now,” she sighs.
Our moment should end here. My brother will be arriving any minute, but there’s something else lingering in the quiet. When her hand slides up my chest and rests over my heart, I almost lose my footing. God help me, I want to stay. I want to tell Charlie to go on without me, throw my phone into the pasture, and forget the rest of the world exists.
I want to tell her that I love her, that I’ve never felt this way before, that she owns every steady and broken part of me. But I keep all this to myself. I don’t want to spook her again. Whenshe’s ready to hear me say it … well, I hope I’m smart enough to know when that moment comes.
I pull back. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”
She releases me and takes my face in her hands. “Don’t do that. Garrett is the one who needs to be sorry. I mean, I can’t help but feel it’s partly my fault too.”
My brow furrows. “What are you talking about?”
She looks down and takes my hand in hers. “He got the wrong idea. I was running around in my sultry new outfits, trying to get your attention, not thinking I was attracting his.”
“So?” I tilt her chin up with my index finger. “This is not your fault. You should feel free to wear whatever you want when you want. Just because a man notices you, doesn’t mean you owe him something. That’s on him that he got all riled up, not you.”
“Still …”
“Hey, do you feel good wearing those clothes?”
“You know?” The corner of her mouth tugs up as she folds her arms across her chest. “Yes.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I guess you’re right.”
I squeeze her hand. “I hate that I have to leave you tonight.”
She rubs the back of her neck. “I, uh, hate it too.”
“I’ll be back next Sunday, but …” I release her hand and search around. “Where’s your phone?”
“Oh, uh, here,” she says, pulling it out of a tote bag.
I reach for it. “May I?”
She nods and I create a contact for myself in it. “Text me, call me, FaceTime me, anytime.”
She smiles and takes her phone back. “I wouldn’t want to bother you if you’re at some Hollywood party rubbing elbows with movie stars.”
“Remember what I said? You’re never bothering me. Please,interrupt anytime. But beware, my emojis are a little rusty. Topper had to tell me what an eggplant stood for the other day.”
The tension still hammering around in my body releases when she laughs.
“Hmmm, let’s see if you can decode this emoji?” She types something and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see a pair of lips from her number.
I glance up and pretend to be confused. “I’m not sure what this means. Can you show me?”
“Yes, now, this is me saying goodbye so don’t get too excited,” she says while her fingers curl around my wrist and she pulls me to her. Her fingers weave through my hair as she kisses me. The kiss is slow at first, soft, searching, but when she presses closer, it deepens.
All that restraint I’ve been clinging to starts to fray as my hands curl around her hips. I kiss her back, slow, deep, and consuming. It starts soft, but the way she sighs into me, presses her palms to my chest like she needs to feel me, lights me up from the inside out.
She pulls back, but her lips are still grazing mine. “Ireallyhate that you have to leave.”
“If this is your goodbye, I can’t wait for your hello.”
