Anita raised an eyebrow, the very motion of it teasing. He loved her so much, and it hurt more than anything else that she didn’t feel the same way. “Yeah, you should have tracked her down earlier.” She grinned. “Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of social media tech wizard?”
“I’m hardly a black hat.”
“I don’t know. Chris Hemsworth has nothing on you.”
She wouldn’t look at him, but his treacherous heart was desperate for any sort of subtext. He couldn’t put too much stock in it, though. “In my defense, I was balancing a lot of other things at the time.”
“Well, I don’t think we need to change careers just yet. Someone else can open the Lewis Detective Agency.”
The air sparked, and he found her gaze.
All the hum and bustle of the party outside faded, and all he could see was her. All he ever saw was her.
“This was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Anita scoffed audibly. “Patrick, you were in a ridiculous fight, with Mikhail of all people, then got drugged and tied to a bed for several hours before I forced you to dance in a professional competition. You’re insane. I would just want to take some ibuprofen and sleep for five days.”
She had a point.
“Okay, yes, it was eventful. And painful. But I was with you. And that makes it all worthwhile.” He looked down at his now-empty bag of chips. If he didn’t go for it now, he never would.Life was too short for regrets. His voice softened. “Last night, too, was also pretty epic.”
Her response, or lack thereof, told him everything he needed to know.
“Patrick, I—”
“It’s okay, Anita.” Patrick started gathering up bits of trash and putting them into an empty plastic bag. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I can just deal with it.” Tickets. Packing. Subletting his apartment. Yup, this was it. They would have a friendship of platonic GIFs sent from faraway places. The end.
It was going to end in an empty ballroom filled with sandwich wrappers. Fitting, since the first time he had ever seen her, she had been picking up trash in the high school parking lot.
Anita put her hand on his, her touch stilling his mind.
“Patrick, I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t helping. Could he get a ticket on one of those billionaire space missions?
“I’m sorry for what I said to you this morning. I was scared. Terrified, really. Last night was”—she closed her eyes, breathed deeply—“momentous. I felt like everything had changed, and it was overwhelming. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
The air abruptly left the room. His wandering mind circled directly back to her.
What was happening?
She continued, her eyes downcast, a flush across her cheeks. “You are the best person I’ve ever known. You are my best friend. I don’t deserve you.” His heart hitched. “And what I said this morning, it wasn’t true, Patrick. I—I do love you. I think I’ve loved you since we were teenagers, but it scared me so much—”
Unable to contain himself any longer, he closed the short distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drew her against him. He breathed in every good thing that he loved, returned it all with promises.
He never wanted it to end.
Finally, his lungs desperate for air, he pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. His entire body smiled. “I hope it doesn’t take another crisis for you to dance with me.”
Anita wrapped her arms around his neck. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
She sealed her promise with a kiss.
Epilogue
“I just think it’s a ridiculous term.”
Patrick groaned and rested his forehead against the base of her neck, the heat from his skin melting through her costume. It never got old, being this close to him. Being happy, feeling whole for the first time in her life.
