“I do.”
“Why? What don’t I know?”
I take a deep breath, letting the cool air slowly fill my lungs before breathing out with a sigh. “I started hiking after you left. Dad suggested it for when I wanted to clear my head because I hated the workout torture.”
“His workouts were always brutal.”
“Exactly. So, when he suggested hiking, I jumped at the idea, and it only took a few minutes out in the fresh air for me to realize I found my place. From then on, it became my sanctuary. The scenery could change. The sounds. The smells. None of it had to be the same. But if I was out here, alone, I was healing. It worked better than any of the psych’s suggestions.”
Zane smiles but something about his expression appears troubled. I’m even more convinced when he rakes a shaky hand through his already messed hair. “I thought I knew everything.”
“I found hiking after you left. How could you possibly have known about it?”
“Because I knowyou. There were signs. You hesitated when I suggested a hike yesterday. I thought it was because you were weighing up whether or not to spend more time with me. But it wasn’t that at all. This is your thing and I’m invading it.”
“Actually, you’re not. I never once invited Nathan or Jenna, or Dad for that matter. But when you mentioned it, I wanted youto come. And nothing has changed. If anything, I feel more alive. More confident and strong. Because you bring that out in me. You’ve been bringing the old Blair back bit by bit ever since you walked back into my life. And I liked her.”
My cheeks heat at the admission, but I smile through it because Zane’s the one person I have always been myself around, and that hasn’t changed.
“I happen to like her too.” His warm smile sends a spark down my spine, but when he bounces his eyebrows, I laugh.
“Thank you. I’m not sure I’ve said that.”
“You haven’t. But you can make it up to me.”
“How so?”
“Come with me to San Francisco.” His eyes sparkle as his lips part in a goofy happiness that he never usually projects. I’ve seen it before and it always sucks me in. When my bad boy shows his good.
“I’ll come with you,” I finally agree. “But I have to be back in a week. I promised Jenna I’d go to an advanced screening of her latest series.”
“Deal. I can work with a week.”
“You can what?”
“A week gives me plenty of time to court you.”
His lips purse as his face contorts, and I can’t stop the snort that bursts out of me. “That didn’t feel right, did it?”
“Fuck, no.” He shivers. “But you get what I mean.”
“You don’t need to win me over, Zane. I know who you are and I know you’re not going to purposely hurt me. That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“What are you worried about?”
“That it will happen regardless, without either of us meaning it.”
My chest grows tight as Zane releases a sigh. The last thing I want to do is hurt him. But—
“You’re right. We have to work harder, be honest with each other, and promise we’ll never run. I think being here now has proven that doesn’t work. It’ll waste more time when we inevitably end up back together again. It’s fate, baby.”
“Baby?”
“Too much?” He smirks.
“Definitely. But I like the thinking. When do we leave?”
“How about now?” Zane eyes are alight with mischief before he throws me over his shoulder, jogging toward our car.
