After that night in my car, going outside my comfort zone to talk about half-siblings, nothing is too vulnerable to say to Lily. She’s become my safe space. There’s no one I’d rather confide in than her.
“I don’t like being forgotten. My father put me through that a lot.” Years of missed phone calls, birthdays, graduations, and everything in between flood my memories. A younger version of me asking my mom why my dad never wanted to talk to me. Her saying she didn’t know, either.
Under the table, I put my hand over Lily’s. “I want to memorize everything about you. I want to know you, inside and out, so I can show you how much I care. In all the ways that it matters.”
A confession of love hangs in the air while Liliana intertwines our fingers. If I haven’t made it obvious how crazy I am about her yet, then I’m not doing my job right.
But now isn’t the time to tell her how hopelessly I’ve fallen for her. I planned this to be a night for something else, but equally as special.
Liliana kisses my cheek, eyes shimmering with appreciation. She whispers in my ear that I’m the sweetest guy she knows before digging into one of the slices of cake.
Thisis the right moment to ask the question and make good on every fantasy I’ve had of her since the day we met.
“Can I be your boyfriend?”
Lily starts choking instantly, coughing and pounding on the space of her chest.
Fuck. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the right moment.
I rush to get her a glass of water and rub her back while she half-coughs and half-laughs.
When the sputtering fit is over, her eyes are glassy, face red from a lack of oxygen over the last few minutes.
With her bearing finally in place, she says, “What the hell, Grant?”
“Sorry.” I wince and wipe the smear of frosting on her chin. “I didn’t mean to catch you so off guard. I was really into the moment.”
For a second, I’m afraid she’s upset she had a near-death experience via cake because of me. The sweet sound of her laugh continues to fill up the space, though, and I sigh in relief.
“You could have waited until I swallowed, at least.”
I will the heat in my slacks away. Again.
Not yet.
In the middle of her giggles, she leans over and presses her lips onto mine in a hazelnut mocha kiss.
“The answer is yes, by the way.”
“Yeah?” I grab onto the leg of her chair and move her closer. I had little doubt she’d say yes, but the answer plasters a wide smile across my face anyways. “Yes, what?”
She rolls her eyes. Hands cradle my jaw and everything feels right in the world.
“Yes, Grant. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
twenty-one
LILIANA
The end creditsofLove Don’t Cost a Thingroll by on Grant’s laptop, and my boyfriend looks at me for a rating.
Grant. My boyfriend.
I was surprised when he asked me—not because hewasasking me, but because of his timing. I came here tonight already thinking he was going to ask to be exclusive, whether that was with a label or without one.
The longing looks Grant gives me, though, between kisses and during our pillow talks, led me to believe that whatever he’d ask of me, itwouldcome with a label.
At first, doing this with him sounded absurd. Going from despising him over coffee cups to rolling around in his bedsheets. It felt too fast for how intensely my negative feelings for him were.
