“Maybe,” he says, his lips twitching at the corners. But his eyes give him away, the truth burning bright and undeniable.
“How long?”
He hums, tilting his head back in thought. “A while.”
“How long?”
“Long.”
“How long is long?”
“Long, long.”
“Joshua,” I say, poking him in the gut.
He captures my hand, raising it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to my palm. His voice drops to a murmur. “Maleficent.”
“Please?”
He sighs, running his free hand over his face. “You were eleven.”
I blink, stunned. “I… what?”
“I was twelve. Sam invited me to stay the night, and you handed me a box of chocolates. I fell hard.”
The memory flickers faintly in my mind.
“You loved me all this time?”
He shrugs, glancing away. “You were adorable and looked at me like I hung the moon.” A frustrated sigh escapes him before he looks back at me, his smile turning wry. “And then you started looking at Brad like he was the source of everything you loved.” He shakes his head. “But you always looked at me like I could do anything.”
“You can,” I say firmly, meaning every word. “What you’ve achieved, all that you are? Sure, Sam’s there too, but he wouldn’t have done half as well without you. You’re driven, determined, focused. You’re amazing, Josh.” I bite my lip, my voice softening. “And knowing all that, I don’t understand why you waited so long.”
“Because this isn’t a job. This is you,” he says, his laugh quiet and almost disbelieving. “I waited. I expected your crush to die off. It just….”
“Never did?” I offer him a small, knowing smile.
He nods, his eyes holding mine.
“He was…” I start, searching for the right words. “Like vanilla ice cream.”
Josh raises an eyebrow. “What?”
“Brad was like cheap vanilla ice cream,” I explain, laughing. “Inoffensive, yummy, a fallback. He was the safe choice—or so I thought.”
“And me?”
“Dark chocolate. Raspberry. Chili-chocolate,” I say, leaning closer, my hand resting on his thigh. “You were deliciously indulgent and not for me.”
“Why?” he asks, his voice low, his eyes burning as he leans into me.
“Because you’re gorgeous. You’re smart. Ambitious. You were going places, and I thought I was staying put.”
“I always looked at you,” he says softly.
I laugh, rolling my eyes. “Oh really? So, Lauren and Kylie and Tiffany and Sophie and Huda and Kiki and Imani and?—”
He groans, holding up a hand. “Ahlemna, fine. I had some girlfriends. We all get lonely.” His eyes meet mine, serious now. “But none of them were you.”
