but she will not see it that way—
not if she is in love with me.
I leave my bed.
I dress.
I walk, stealthily,
out of the cottage.
I have to know for sure.
elise
I’m headed down the sidewalk, thinking of Janie and cookies, Mati and kisses, dandelions and shooting stars, when a tall, shadowed figure steps out from behind a stocky tree, right into my path. A shriek escapes my throat, and my hands fly up, curled into fists, a sudden surge of adrenaline demandingfight!
“Elise, it’s okay!”
Warm hands land on my arms. Draw me forward. Hold me against a solid chest.
Mati.
“I’m sorry,” he says, gentle words rustling my ponytail.
My arms loop instinctually around his middle, though my heart’s still hammering my ribs in a relentless attempt to escape. I take a shaky breath; his familiar scent eases my nerves enough to let me sputter, “God, Mati, you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you.” He edges back and presses a palm to my chest, just over my heart, letting his heat melt what’s left of my panic. “I’vebeen here awhile. I knew Audrey would be coming home, and I didn’t want to upset her again.”
I look back at her cottage; the front lights are still on, shining through the sheer curtains that cover the arched windows. I reshoulder my bag and slip my hand into his. I lead him down the sidewalk, away from Aud’s and town, toward seclusion and safety. We walk to the beach, to the picnic table where, weeks ago, he left the note that changed everything.
We sit on the tabletop, bathed in moonlight, feet propped on the bench. The sky mirrors my ceiling at home, black and sprinkled with stars, like someone tossed a handful of silver glitter into the heavens. I can just make out the ocean’s restless waves against the sand below, but otherwise the night is hushed and still. I rest my head on Mati’s shoulder. “So why were you sneaking around like a creep?”
He laughs, soft and sonorous. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just—I needed to see you.”
“Not that I’m complaining, but why the urgency?”
“You said something before you left earlier. You probably don’t remember, but…”
Damn it. I’ve been hoping my declaration went over his head, that he heard it as an offhand comment, just one of those things Americans say. Obviously not.
I giggle, a nervous, giddy,mortifiedsound. “Oh. That.”
“Yes. That.”
“It just came out, Mati. Because that was nice, what you said—that we count. That we can’t be wrong. I was, like,moved. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“About whether you meant it.”
“Oh.”
“Elise. Did you mean it?”
“I…” Am at a complete loss for words.
