She gives me a languorous smile. “I don’t think I could move, even if I wanted to.”
“Good.” I hurry towards the door. “I like you right there.”
My first stop is the bathroom, and when I come back into the hallway, I hesitate. Do I give her the gift now? Or do I put it off in hopes of finding more courage?
Come on,my inner hermit says. But he sounds resigned, like he knows his days of hermit-hood are over.You know what you want. And you never used to be a coward.
He’s right. So I jog into my office to grab the two matching red-wrapped gift boxes from inside my desk, then head back into the bedroom.
When I get there, Vienna is sitting up in bed with the blanket wrapped burrito-style around her. “I never took my socks off,” she says, sounding annoyed about it. Then she pokes her heart socks out from beneath the blanket. “I don’t care what you say. Having sex with your socks onisn’tsexy.”
“Yes, it is.” I cross the room to the bed and climb back in, tucking Vienna against my side and wrapping the blanket around both of us. “I think it’s sexier than not wearing socks. I think you should wear socks every time.”
“Oh?” One eyebrow arches up. “So you’re saying there’ll be another time?”
“I hope so. Don’t you?”
Vienna smiles. Her eyes are soft with affection. “I definitely want there to be another time. More than one, in fact. Many more.”
My heart jumps. It’s the perfect opening.
Pulling the boxes out from beneath the blanket, I hand them over to her. “I’m going out of order,” Iexplain. “These were supposed to be for later. But now… it seems like the right time to give them to you.”
“More presents?” Vienna nudges my arm with hers. “This is too much, Caleb.”
“They’re not expensive gifts. They’re just, well, you’ll see.” I tap the slightly smaller box. “Open this one first.”
“Okay.” She tears off the wrapping paper to reveal a plain black box inside. As she lifts off the lid, I hold my breath, hoping for the best but preparing myself for the worst. When she pulls out a silver keychain with a key attached, she looks at me in confusion. “Caleb?”
It’s hard to talk with my heart lodged in my throat. “It’s a key. To my house. I was hoping you might want to keep it.”
Cautious hope sparks in her eyes. “Keep it? So I can visit?”
“No. Keep it because… you live here.” Holding her gaze, I add, “I know it hasn’t been long. And I understand if you’re not ready. But having you here, being with you—it feels more right than anything I can remember. If you want to have your own bedroom, that would be okay. I wouldn’t rush you into?—”
“You want me to live here? With you?”
I take her hand. “Yes. I do. I thought I was happier alone. But I was wrong. I’m happier withyou. And I guess I’m hoping you might feel the same way.”
“Caleb.” Vienna blinks. Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “You’re not saying this just because you feel bad?—”
“No. Not at all.” I take a deep breath for courage. “Iknow relationships take time to develop. I know we still have a lot to learn about each other. But… I’m falling in love with you, Vienna. I see a future with you. And I think we could be happy here together.”
The silence that follows seems interminable, though I know it can’t be more than a couple of seconds.
Say yes,I silently plead.Say yes.
“Yes,” Vienna blurts. “Yes. I would love to live here with you.” She sets the box aside and takes my face in her hands. “I’m falling in love with you, too, Caleb. And I definitely want a future with you.”
“Thank fuck,” I say before I can stop myself.
Vienna lets out a startled laugh. “Did you think I’d say no?”
“Maybe,” I admit. “I hoped you wouldn’t. But I was trying to prepare myself.”
She leans in to kiss me. “Well, I didn’t.”
I kiss her back. “You didn’t.” Releasing a heavy sigh of relief, I hand the other box to her. “This one kind of ties in with the first. It’s less of a gift than an idea.”
