Wes scrunches up his face, like he doesn’t buy that theory. “As a point of reference,” he says, “aren’t we here, now, to fight back against an entity who claims exactly that? They’re making decisions for us, claiming it’s in our best interest. Why are they deciding what our interests are? Why did you think you could decide mine?”
“Our track record’s not great,” I say, although I get his point about The Program. How making a relationship decision without his input may not have been entirely fair—not when I still loved him.
“You told me all about it, remember?” Wes says, smiling with those adorable dimples. “We sound awful,” he adds. “We sound young. But other than nearly dying, the second time didn’t seem so bad.”
I laugh, enjoying his take on the situation. “It wasn’t awesome, either, although it had its moments.”
“Seems like our thing,” he says. “Bad timing.”
I loop my arm behind the sofa and set the bag of frozen peas on the cushion. “What do you mean?”
“First round, we had the epidemic, you breaking up with me. Me trying to move on halfheartedly. And then the second time, you loved me first, and when I came around, you decided it was wrong. My head exploded, and boom—we’re up to round three.”
“I mean, it didn’texplode,” I say.
“Do you want my thoughts on all of this?” he asks. “My final thoughts?”
I shake my leg, nervous. “Yes,” I reply, bracing myself for what he’s about to say.
“Whatever went wrong between us,” he starts, “I’m sorry. No matter who was at fault, if anyone. And I can’t promise it won’t happen again. But I’m not going to move on this time.” He smiles, kind of miserable. A bit stubborn.
“I think about you all the time, Tate,” he continues. “I worry about you. I want to live this life.” He motions between us. “And I hope I’m not being too much right now if I say I’mwildabout you. Have been since you came to rescue me in the monitor’s office. Since I saw you in class. Iknewyou”—he puts his hand over his heart—“even if I didn’t know you.
“Now, I don’t want to talk about the past anymore,” he continues, “or fights we’ve had, or my mother. Can we do that? Because I think I love you. And I want to save the world with you. So... I don’t know, can we stop ruining each other’s lives and just love each other at the same time?”
I stare at him, my heart swelling to the point of bursting. It’s everything I love about him, his pure way of looking at things. Even the faults. He sighs loudly, waiting for me to respond, and I smile.
“Why did you have to bring your mother into this?” I ask.
Wes coughs out a laugh, clearly relieved. “That was terrible of me,” he says. “But I’m guessing you’re cool with the other parts?”
I nod that I am, and he nods back like it’s finalized. We’re loving each other, concurrently. It’s settled.
Wes turns to the computer, clicking through posts until he gets frustrated and tries another forum. I watch him, finding the first bit of true contentment I’ve had in a while. I’m almost dreamy, setting aside the shambles of my life as I study him, noticing his dimples first, the way they’re always there even when he’s not smiling. The way he licks his lips. The fast clicking of his fingers on the keys.
And the second he turns to me, noticing that I’m staring, I lean over and kiss him.
He’s not surprised, not hesitant. Instead, his hand rests on the back of my neck, his lips moving against mine urgently, claiming me. Both of us gasp through our kisses, tongues intertwining. My head spins, and I move to my knees to get closer to him, knocking the bag of peas onto the carpet. Wes moans softly as he pulls me down on top of him, his other hand on my hip.
I straddle him on the couch, breaking the kiss to gaze down at him for a moment. Admire him as my heart races riotously. Wes’s eyes are glassy, his lips part as he smiles. He reaches for the bottom of my shirt, tugging me into another kiss, wrapping his arms around me. He devours me, and it’s not like before. He doesn’t kiss the same; he’s not touching me the same. This is all new.
Wes’s mouth is on my neck, his teeth grazing my skin, and I whisper his name, knotting my fingers in his hair.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs on my skin, our bodies moving against each other. “Fucking perfect.”
I’m half out of my mind as I yank off his shirt and then mine, and we crash back together. If we’re going to the break the rules by dating, we might as well break them all. His hand slides past my hip and between my thighs, and I melt against him. We’re kissing and smiling and about to get very naked, when there is a sharp knock at his basement door.
I sit up, my eyes blurry as I look in the direction of his room. Wes groans and drops his head back against the cushions.
“Seriously?” he says out loud. I move to the other side of the couch, my body still tingling. I pull my shirt back on, and Wes stands up, grabbing his from the floor and carrying it with him to the door.
He looks back over his shoulder at me, as if to say he doesn’thaveto open the door. I motion for him to do it anyway. He exhales and opens it, resting on the door frame, blocking my view. I sit up straighter, waiting to see who it is.
“Tate,” Wes calls back. “It’s for you.”
CHAPTER SIX
MY HEART LEAPS INTO MYthroat, and I quickly jump up, smoothing my hair and avoiding the spot that still hurts. Wes pushes the door open all the way, and I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see it’s Nathan. Standing behind him, Foster waves to me, mouthing hello.
