“No conditions…” A lump caught in my throat when he cupped my cheek and stepped in close to kiss my forehead. David kept his lips pressed against my forehead for a couple of seconds as he breathed me in like I’d done with him.
“Condition one: You thank me for saving you a headache. An asshole was trying to get your party shut down,” he murmured into my ear.
“Was it really that bad?” I pulled away enough to see his face. The outside world may as well have been streetlights cloaked in fog. The music, once blaring, now turned into a soft background lull, as if relenting to David’s deep voice.
“You have enemies, you know that?” he asked with a teasing smile.
“So many,” I joked. “You were number one, remember?”
He nodded with a chuckle. “Once upon a time.”
“And now, you protect me from them.”
David hummed in agreement. “I’m going to make a career out of it.”
“So, I guess that deserves a thank you.” My smile came easily. “Thank you for fixing a problem I didn’t need right now. And for helping bring in this crowd. For looking out for me. Thank you, David.”
“Was that so hard?”
I pressed my lips to his, surprising him only for a second before he relaxed into me. “Horribly.”
“Well, get used to it,” he whispered against my lips. “We’re going to be very polite to one another moving forward.”
“Cordial,” I agreed.
“Chivalrous.”
“Kind.”
“Open,” his voice softened.
“Loving,” I tried, heat rushing to my cheeks as I waited for the taunt, tease, brush off.
“Loving,” he agreed without hesitation. “Next condition.”
I sighed as if I weren’t full of the kind of joy that could solve every single one of my aches. “What is it?”
“You accept my dare,” he said.
“I always do.”
“I dare you to run away with me. After this semester, just you and me.”
“Okay.”
He laughed. “That’s it? No inquiries about where we’re going? If I planned to bring you back?”
I shrugged. “I don’t need to know where we’re going. AndI trust you enough to know you understand how important school is. How important my family and friends are. We’ll be back in the spring.”
David sighed, giving up a rouse that only lasted a split second. “Fine. You’re right. I’ll bring you back so we can walk across the graduation stage together again. But after that, well, I plan on taking you anywhere and everywhere for far longer. New Harbor’s too small for you, Yara. I want you to grow. Stretch someplace where you aren’t knocking limbs with family members and small-town gossips.”
“I love my family members and small-town gossips.” I smiled.
David chuckled. “You know what I mean.”
I nodded. “I do. And I agree. I want to grow. To stretch out and see the world with you.”
“That’s a yes?”
