“Hey,” I said softly.
She turned to me with a tired smile. “Hey.”
“Can we talk now?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I led her to the little booth in the far corner. The morning light was slanting through the blinds just right, catching the flecks of paint on her jeans and the curve of her cheekbone.
We slid in across from each other, but it didn’t feel like enough. So I stood, came around to her side, and sat beside her instead. She didn’t flinch. Just leaned into me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t make you uncomfortable last night,” I said, voice low.
The question had plagued me all night. The sexting between us seemed to go well—great, really—but I knew Kira’s boundaries weren’t always obvious from the outside. A small part of me questioned if she’d gone along with it just because she thought I wanted it.
“Uncomfortable?” She scrunched her forehead, confused. “Not at all. I’d say it was a good night, actually.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. It’s just…you once told me it takes you three business days to decide if you want to hold someone’s hand,” I said, half teasing, half serious. “And now it feels like we’re skipping past that to everything else.”
Kira’s thigh brushed mine.
“It’s different with you, Landon. I hope you know that.” She placed a hand on my knee and squeezed. “It’s hard to explain tosomeone whose brain works a little differently, but I love you and want to be with you. In every way.”
Her words hit me like sunlight—steady and warm, filling in cracks I didn’t know were still there. For years, I’d carried guilt about leaving her, guilt that bled into every attempt to get close again. But now, with her looking at me like I wasn’t just forgiven, but wanted, I felt something settle. Something whole.
“I love you too.” My voice came out rougher than I expected. “And I’m not in a rush, Kira. I want what you want, at your pace. Always.”
She smiled and canted her head. “Well, my pace is looking a lot faster these days.”
“Oh yeah?”
She leaned in until her lips brushed the corner of my mouth. “Definitely.”
I caught her chin gently and kissed her slowly. It would have been easy to stay here all day if Liam hadn’t cleared his throat from behind us.
“Mom wants a group picture,” he said. “You guys look too happy.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” I climbed out of the booth.
He looked a lot older than eighteen when he answered, “I’m not sure yet.”
19
KIRA
The Burrow Bitches
Macey: Why is there so much chalk in our apartment?
Kira: Oh, I was trying out a couple of types of chalk before indoor rock climbing today.
Macey: You, Kira Park, went rock climbing??
Kira: It’s scary. But exhilarating.
Macey: When will you be home tonight?
Kira: I’m not sure, probably late!
