“Now that I’ve finally found the courage to say it out loud? Of course. I love you, Nova. I really love yo—”
“Okay, okay, I get it. I love you too.”
I laugh and press my palm over his mouth, but he only smirks against it, scooping me up in one smooth motion and carrying me toward the bed. He sits on the edge and settles me on his lap, straddling him. Carefully, he slides off my pastel-pink boots, setting them neatly by the bed.
“Hey...” he whispers, cupping my face. His thumbs stroke my cheeks, gentle enough to make me shiver. My eyes flutter shut as I melt into his touch.
“You’re so beautiful I don’t even know where to kiss you first,” he murmurs, then presses a soft kiss to the tip of my nose.
My eyes fly open at that—because the gesture throws me back into our adolescence. I stare into his, searching for answers.
“What changed your mind?” I whisper.
“What?”
“Until now, you were convinced this couldn’t work. That you were too broken for me. What’s different? Is this just a passing moment? Are you going to wake up tomorrow and tell me what we did was wrong? That loving me is not enough? That you’ll only end up hurting me? I know this script, Cooper. So tell me the truth—because I don’t think I can survive another heartbreak. Not after everything you said tonight.”
I can’t open my heart again if I can’t trust him to stay with me. “What do you want from me?”
“Nova...” His eyes are full of guilt. Not again.
“Tell me. What do you want from me?” I press.
“I want you. Just you,” he whispers.
“I’m right here, Cooper! I’m practically throwing myself at you, and you’re rejecting me. How can you say I’m the one who thinks there’s no place for us, when you’re the one building walls?”
He clenches his fists, shaking his head. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it? Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you don’t want me. Why won’t you fight for us? Or is this just a game to you? You want to fuck me, but when it comes to commitment you back out! It just bothers you to think of someone else having me. But you don’t really want me, Vincent. You had me four years ago, and you left.”
“Nova, the problem’s I’m not well! I’m not stable, and I can’t promise you stability. I can’t promise you anything. My heart is too shattered, and my mind is sick. I’m not someone you can call mentally stable. I already left for three months when we were sixteen. I’ve been in therapy for years and it hasn’t led me anywhere. I can’t... I see you everywhere. I can’t get you out of my head, it’s like you’re haunting me. I don’t—”
His words rip my heart to pieces.
“I don’t care,” I whisper, burying my face in his neck.
I can’t bear to look at him, because deep down I know he’ll never give me what I’m aching for. Whatever this is, it’s already over.
“I love your mind, Vincent. I love your beautiful mind. It’s not crazy or fucked up. It’s special... You are special and I love this beautiful mind of yours... I love you, Vincent Cooper.I’m so in love with you.”
I stand between his knees, cradle his face, and cover him with kisses—his hair, his eyelids, his forehead, his temples—everywhere I can reach.
“I want you. I’ve never wanted anyone more than this. But it’s not good for you to want me. I can’t give you what you need, Nova. I’ll never be enough. My love will never be enough,” he whispers, barely audible.
I sit beside him, resting my head on his shoulder. My fingers intertwine with his, and I feel his hand tremble.
My throat tightens, my eyes sting with tears. “Yes, you can. You just don’t want to. You don’t want to fight to save yourself, so you can’t fight for us either. Steven’s not even who’s keeping us apart—you are. You’re scared. So why tell me you’re in love with me? Why keep leading me on?”
He pulls me into his chest, rocking me gently as the tears I tried so hard to hold back finally spill, soaking his skin.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispers into my hair.
And that apology is worse than any slap my mother ever gave me.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Nova Marshall
