I’m reminded of my dream, of Aric’s back as he walked away from me.
Please don’t let that be what’s happening.
“We could write,” Aric says. “And I could visit on weekends sometimes. And it’s only a year. One year, and then you’ll graduate, and then...”
“And then what?” My voice is quiet in the autumn night, and it’s almost lost in the sound of the dry leaves rustling along the ground. “I don’t know what I’m doing after graduation. I might need to stay in Wysteria to help my mom with the café. Or I might get an apprenticeship somewhere else. I just... I don’t know.”
Aric is quiet for a moment. Then he takes a breath and sits up a bit straighter, his fingers tightening around mine where he still has my hand pressed to his chest.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says finally, and there’s determination in his voice. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. I’m not losing you, Brains. Not over distance, not over anything.”
I want to believe him. I want to believe him so badly.
But knowing he’s going to leave, knowing we’ll be apart for a full year—
“Hey.” He tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes, which are narrowed in the darkness. “Where’d you go just now?”
My eyes start to mist over with tears. “I’m scared,” I whisper.
“Of what?”
“Of... Of losing you. Of not being enough. Of—” My voice cracks, and I pull my face away so he can’t see as the first few tears escape my eyes.
Aric pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me tightly. “Youareenough,” he says fiercely against my hair, his breath ticking my ear. “You’re more than enough.”
“You say that now—”
“And I’ll say it again,” he interrupts, pulling back just enough to look at me. “In a month, in six months, in a year. I’m not going anywhere in here.” He presses my hand to his chest again, over his heart. “You’ve got me, Poppy. No matter what.”
My breath catches. “You really mean that?”
“Completely.” His thumb brushes a tear from my cheek. “Remember our first tutoring session? You were so sure of yourself. So confident. You made everything seem possible, like I could actually do this, could save myself from being kicked off the team.”
“That’s because you can,” I whisper, then sniffle quietly. “And you are.”
He smiles faintly. “Not without you. You believed in me before I did.”
I hold his gaze, tears no longer falling. “And you’ve been proving me right ever since.”
For a long moment, we just look at each other, Aric’s arms still wrapped around me. Then he leans in and kisses me, soft and sure, and the world steadies. The panic in my chest doesn’t disappear, but it loosens its icy grip.
“You really think we’ll figure this out? You leaving?” I ask quietly.
“We will,” he promises. “Whatever it takes.”
I nod, then take a shaky breath. “Okay. You’re right. We can do this.”
“That’s my girl,” he says with a small rumble of a laugh. Then he’s quiet for a moment before saying, “Actually, about that...”
“About what?”
He looks nervous, his ears darkening. “About calling you my girl. I know we’ve been... whatever this is... for a while now. But I’ve never actually asked you properly.” He takes a deep breath, holding my gaze. “Poppy Waverly, will you officially be my girlfriend?”
Despite everything—the fear, my dreams, the knowledge that he’s leaving—I smile. And now I’m the one to kiss him, deeper this time, until we’re both breathless and laughing.
“Is that a yes?” he asks against my lips.
“Yes, it’s a yes,” I say with another smile.
