Nipping at my earlobe, he slipped his hand beneath the hoodie I was wearing, palming my thigh. “I’m always thinking about the future with you.”
“Me too.” It was a confession. My future included Jay, and that was something I was certain of. That was why I wanted him to know everything. I glanced back down at my sketchpad. This was the rawest part of me, and I wanted to share it with him. “Keep going.”
He turned the page and gasped as he took in the next drawing. “Oh, fuck. Yourtalent. Is it possible to get turned on by yourself?”
I took in the sight of my boyfriend in all his nude glory, rendered in charcoal. “I’m sure we’ve had this conversation before when you saw the drawing of you on the ice. But to answer your question…Dan would probably say yes.”
“Don’t mention him.” Jay groaned, burying his head in my shoulder. “I can’t believe I said that. It’s just…you see me in a way I’ve never seen myself.”
“It’s the way I see you,” I said.
Much, much later than planned, we wandered downstairs to the kitchen, Jay’s fingers threaded through mine. He directed me to sit at the island while he rummaged in the fridge.
“For fuck’s sake. My teammates are animals.”
“What?”
His head reappeared from around the fridge door, frustration written all over his face. “I made enough vada pav—uh, Bombay burgers yesterday for twenty people,at least, and there’s only three left. My fucking asshole teammates keep stealing my food. I think we have…fuck, I don’t think we have much else. I think there might be some potato waffles in the freezer, and there are probably some chicken noodles if you want them.”
The disappointment on his face had me rushing to reassure him. The fact that he was so concernedmade me melt. I didn’t care what we ate; I just wanted Jay to be happy.
Hopping off my stool, I went up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Everyone loves them, so I’m not surprised. Don’t worry about it. I’ll eat anything.”
He stared down at me. “I don’t want you to be hungry, and we haven’t even?—”
“I’m hungry for more than just food.”
I drank in the moment that my words sank in and he visibly relaxed. “Yeah? What else?”
“You. Just you,” I said.
“Just you,” he repeated, brushing his lips over mine. “I feel the same. Only you.”
Hours later, when the sky was lightening over the Cotswolds with Jay’s curtains thrown open to welcome the morning sun, I shifted in his arms, turning to face him.
“Jay?”
“Yeah?” He dipped his head, pressing a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“Remember when you chased me through the woods?”
He immediately stiffened. “I couldn’t forget it, even if I tried.”
“I’m glad you did. You sparked something inside me. Something I couldn’t forget.”
“You know I wouldn’t?—”
“Jay. Everything happens for a reason. If I hadn’t decided to break the rules and go out that night… If you hadn’t decided to chase me, then we might not even be here.”
His arms tightened around me. “No. We would have worked it out. I know that for sure.”
I smiled against his chest, my fingers tangling with his. “Yes. We would have,” I said.
EPILOGUE
JAY
FIVE YEARS LATER
