"It's everything." He kissed my forehead. "Stay."
"I was going to."
"I mean stay for real. Not just tonight."
"What changed?"
"I stopped being more afraid of wanting you than of losing you."
I pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart, and felt his breath catch.
"Okay," I said. "I'll stay."
We lay in silence for a while as his fingers traced slow patterns on my back.
"Can I ask you something?" I said.
"Anything."
"The last day. Before the wedding." I kept my eyes on his chest, watching it rise and fall. "When I found you in the corridor to say goodbye. Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I was looking for you. During the whole walkthrough, I couldn't stop—" I shook my head. "Never mind. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid." His hand stilled on my back. "Tell me."
The final walkthrough had been agony.
I couldn't stop searching for him.
Every security uniform made my pulse spike. At every corner, I hoped he'd be there.
I found myself drifting, falling behind the group, lingering near service corridors while Elizabeth's mother debated napkin folds.
"Tobias, do keep up," my mother called.
I smiled, nodded, and kept searching.
When the walkthrough ended, I made an excuse about the restroom and slipped away.
I found him near the staff entrance.
He was checking his radio, back to me. When he heard my footsteps, he turned.
"Mr. Langford. Can I help you?"
"I wanted to thank you," I said. "For the terrace. And the fountain."
"Just doing my job, sir."
"It didn't feel like just a job."
His expression didn't change.
"The fountain was a safety issue," he said. "The terrace was routine patrol."
I waited for something more. There was nothing.
