Slowly, I close the distance between us, stopping just close enough that I could reach out and touch her if I wanted to. And goddess, I want to.
“I’m sorry too,” I say. “For all of it. When I told you I didn’t need tutoring anymore, I thought I was being considerate, giving you your time back, but it came out all wrong. Like you didn’t matter. Like what we had was just... convenient.” I curl my fingers into tight fists at my sides. “I was drowning in exam prep and worrying about everything going wrong, and I didn’t communicate that to you. I just disappeared and left you wondering what you’d done wrong.”
“Aric—”
“And then I told you we should take a break.” I have to fight to keep my voice steady. “Like you were just another stress I couldn’t handle instead of the person who made everything bearable. The person who made me believe I could actually succeed.” I take a shaky breath. “You asked me in the library if I’d already moved on to Faunwood without you, but, Poppy... I can’t imagineanythingwithout you.”
My voice cracks, and I have to pause, blinking hard against the burning in my eyes, trying not to cry. But when I look at Poppy—at this brilliant, beautiful girl who just told me she loves me—my vision blurs anyway.
“You made me feel smart. Not just capable of passing classes, but actually intelligent. Like my thoughts mattered.”My hands are shaking now, and I shove them into my pockets to hide it. “And I threw it away because I was a coward.”
“You’re not a coward,” she whispers.
“I am.” I let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve been miserable without you too. And I’m so sorry it took so long for me to finally get my head out of my ass and realize I need to fight for this. For us.”
I take another step closer. Close enough now that I can see the tracks of tears on her cheeks, the way her lips are parted slightly, the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
“I love you too,” I say, and saying it out loud feels like stepping off a cliff. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once. “I love you, Poppy Waverly. I love your brilliant mind and your smile and the way you look at me like I’m capable of anything. I love that you see past all the surface stuff to the person underneath.”
“Aric,” she breathes, and then she’s closing the distance between us, her hands coming up to grip the lapels of my jacket.
I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing away the tears on her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Brains.”
“I’m sorry too,” she whispers, and then she rises up onto her toes and kisses me.
The world narrows to this—her lips on mine, soft and desperate and perfect. I pull her closer, one hand sliding into her hair while the other wraps around her waist, and she makes a small sound against my mouth that sends heat racing through my veins.
This is what I’ve been missing. It’s a feeling of coming home.
I deepen our kiss, and she moves her hands to my neck, draping her arms around me and pulling me close. Gone is the hesitation she had the first few times we kissed. Now she feels sure, like she knows exactly what she wants.
And I must be the luckiest man in the world, because I think what she wants isme.
We break apart only when we need to breathe, but I don’t let her go far. I rest my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard, and for a moment, we just stand there under the moonlight, holding each other like we’re afraid the other might disappear.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
“I missed you too.” I press a kiss to her forehead, then her temple, then the corner of her mouth. “So much. And I have something for you,” I murmur against her skin.
She pulls back slightly, confusion and curiosity mixing in her expression. “What?”
I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the small velvet box I’ve been carrying with me since this afternoon, my heart suddenly hammering again. “I bought this for you. In Wysteria.” I open the box to reveal the silver hairpin shaped like a crescent moon, the gemstone in its center winking in the light. “I saw you looking at it that day we walked through town together. And I wanted you to have it.”
Her eyes go wide, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. “Aric,” she whispers. “That’s—you really didn’t have to—”
“I wanted to.” I lift the hairpin in careful fingers, then slip the empty box back into my pocket. “Can I...?”
She nods, turning slightly so I can reach her hair.
My hands shake a bit as I gather a section of her silky lavender hair, carefully sliding the hairpin into place.
When I’m done, I turn her back to face me, and her expression makes my heart catch.
“Gorgeous,” I murmur.
“The hairpin?” she asks with a small smile.
“You.”
