He was looking for me? I want to ask just to make sure I heard that right, but I don’t.
“Yeah, you were an asshole,” I mutter, dropping to the floor and sitting next to the door. I hear noise on the other side and I’m certain he’s doing the same thing followed by a chuckle.
You’re not supposed to agree with me
“Just repeating what you said.”
Can I talk now?
I can’t stop myself from smiling. “No, I like you like this.”
He chuckles again.
Does this mean I’m forgiven?
“Let me think about it…” My voice carries a slight tease until I think about the email and his parents. “Do you want to talk about the email and your parents?”
No.
He quickly slips the Post-it under the door and then another.
I really don’t want to talk about either
I rest my head against the door. “You know, I see you. You can act like whatever you feel doesn’t matter, but it does.” I have no idea where that came from, but it only encourages me to keep going.
For a long moment I don’t hear anything or get a note from him.
“Garcia, you there?” I sit on my knees, my hand reaching for the doorknob until another Post-it is slipped underneath.
I really need you.
My breath catches.
I’ve never been someone who anyone needs and I almost wonder if this is a ploy to get me to come outside. But his handwriting is rushed, the ink seeps into the back of the paper, and the lines are indented from how heavy he was holding the pen. The other Post-its don’t look and feel like this.
He needsme.
Daniel’s going to regret this. I know he is, but regardless of my conflicting feelings and the voice in my head saying I’m going to fuck this up, I open the door.
He’s sitting on the other side, his gaze lost, but when his eyes find mine, I swear I see every morsel of sadness and tension on his face and body dissolve. He looks…genuinely happy and relieved to see me.
A small, devastating, crooked smile curls on his face as he scribbles something. I quickly rake my gaze over him, taking inhis uniform, chain with the safety pin, and hat. He looks good…really,reallygood.
This isn’t the time to gawk!
He holds the note up for me to read.
I’m so happy you’re here!
On my knees, I scoot closer to him and before I can talk myself out of it, I circle my arms around his shoulders. I think I caught him by surprise because he momentarily tenses but then his body goes slack against mine and he wraps his arms around my waist.
I feel his heart race against my chest, or is it mine? I’m not sure, I can’t tell, and I don’t want to let myself think because this is already too much. Surely, he’ll realize this is a mistake or at least I keep thinking he will but seconds tick by and he continues to hold me like I’m his lifeline.
“I needed this.Ineededyou,” he murmurs against my chest, the deep rasp of his voice vibrating against me.
The wick in my heart lights back up, easily and instantaneously, almost as if it had never been out. I hate that I let it happen and most of all hate how the single flame warms my entire body.
It sends ripples of heat throughout, slowly spreading like a wildfire but not hot enough to incinerate me, just warm enough I feel a little…alive.
