“I didn’t come back for you because I thought I would hurt you. Like I was taking more away from you by being here,” I whisper. “I wanted to be the best version of me, because I couldn’t bear you taking pieces of you to make me whole.”
He doesn’t speak, and the silence cracks something inside me. I’m so tired of being so indecisive. Conjuring excuses why we couldn’t be together or make it work. When the most important reason exists.Love. And just like that, words tumble from my lips. “I just want you to know that I’m okay. I’m better, Iz. I’m not the woman I used to be, but I’m slowly becoming a better version.”
His shoulders rise with a breath. “That’s all I ever wanted.”
My eyes sting before I even realize why. My voice is a rasp when I speak. “I love you. And I think you should know that. Just that I love you.”
I swear he stops breathing. Isaac stands frozen like a statue. He doesn’t react. Maybe he’s in shock or doesn’t believe me, so I say it again, just in case he needs more confirmation, and this time even louder. “I love you, Isaac Vargas.”
His jaw clenches like he’s trying to hold himself together. “Fuck,mami…” He takes two strides towards me, closing the distance between us. “I was so scared I’d never hear you say that. Tell me again.”
“I love you.”
“Again.”
I cup his face, drawing him closer until our bodies brush. “I was scared. Still am. But I’m willing…. I want to live, but alongside you.” His forehead leans down against mine. “Say it again.”
“I love you,” I repeat, not caring about spending the rest of my life saying those three words to him, showing him and giving him all this love locked inside of me. His hand comes to the side of my face, thumb brushing under my eye, already predicting that the tears are about to fall.
“I love you,” he says.
And there in the shadow of the past, we kiss. It’s slow, our lips press against each other before parting to allow our tongues to slip inside. Our hands tremble as our tongues meet in a dance that says everything we haven’t. His hands find my waist as mine grip his shirt, and it’s not just a kiss.
It’s home.
It’s every second we survive… A promise that no matter what comes next, we will face it together. The city below us glows like an altar, and for the first time in what feels like a lifetime… I, Veronica, am not afraid.
Chapter Forty Seven
Isaac
My lips burn with remnants of our kiss. The city sprawls beneath us, the lights flickering like stars that got too close to the ground. From here, everything looks so alive, dare I say, even softer. Veronica stands at the edge of the overlook, arms resting on the railing, soft shoulder-length waves dancing with the wind. I lean against the railing, the cool draft moving through my hair as I watch her… the brightest light of them all. She doesn’t speak at first, and I don’t push.
It’s quiet up here… not awkward… just a comfortable pregnant pause of words. Some moments don’t need words. Especially this one… Especially her.
I stand beside her, close but not close enough to impose. Despite the urge to touch her, I keep my hands stuffed inside my leather jacket. My eyes follow her gaze to the moving cars, and silently we watch them drift through streets like lazy fireflies. Ronnie slowly turns towards me, the soft glow of the streetlight catching the curve of her jaw. “Do you remember what we talked about that night, before it went to hell?”
I nod. “We talked about a lot of things.”
She hums. “We did. But do you remember Max wanting us to get married? About how unsure I was about the future.”
“I remember…”
My focus remains on her, watching as her hands tighten around the railing and she steps up on them, pushing away and closing her eyes. The sight is enough to pull a crooked grin from my lips. Her energy seems much lighter. My girl seems more at peace, and that’s all I could ask for. Tonight turned out more perfect thanI could ever imagine. She closes her eyes, recreating the iconic Titanic scene. Her eyes remain shut as her arms expand like she’s flying.
“Has it changed the way you view the future?” I ask, not able to contain the anticipation of hearing where this conversation is going. Her eyes flutter open, meeting mine. “It has.” She pauses, taking in a sharp inhale. “I doubted my future because there was only one person I always pictured it with.”
My body involuntarily pushes away from the railing, drawing closer and eradicating the small space between us. “And…”
She smiles, stepping off the railing and reaching up to cup my face within her small and soft hand. “I want a future with you. I want every day with you. Every minute. Every hour. Every lifetime. I want it all.”
The words stretch between us, my pulse rising to an unreachable tempo. I don’t say anything because there’s nothing left to say that I haven’t already. This is her time to decide for herself. I’m just happy to be part of the ride. We stand there looking into each other’s eyes, when she softly mutters, “Take me with you.”
I blink, my head slightly tilted, unsure if I heard her right, and still ask, “Where to?”
“I don’t care. Wherever you’re going… wherever you need to be.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I swallow hard against it. Something settles in my chest, not pain, not pressure, but warmth that spreads through my entire body until I’m nothing but fire.
